One Little Change
by SailorNeo
Summary: There are some things in this universe that are meant to be. And in changing one detail, Tommy and Kim are given a future. Granted, it's a future full of the chaos that only the life of a Ranger can bring. But it's also full of love and family.
1. Prologue: Changes

Title: One Little Change

Author: sailorneo

Summary: Some things are meant to be. Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart are one of these things. And changing one little thing changes everything for the two of them. It gives them a future.

Pairings: Mainly Tommy/Kimberly though other pairings will appear. Most are considered vaguely canon to some degree. The legit canon pairings (Joel/Angela, Wes/Jen, etc) do appear.

Author's Note: Generally speaking, every Ranger team will make an appearance. If you're only interested in Tommy and Kimberly then you don't have to read past Part 1. But be aware that the "main" teams are MM through Turbo 1 (before Tommy and company leave), Ninja Storm, and Dino Thunder (because Tommy's on it). The others do appear with varying frequency depending on my favoritism.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

Prologue: Changes  
(Or Higher Beings Enjoy Meddling Like None Other)

_Date: Doesn't Really Matter_

There are some things in the universe that are just meant to happen no matter what. It may take merely days, weeks, months, or even decades, but they will happen. The marriage between Kimberly Hart and Tommy Oliver falls into this category. Incidentally, so does Michael Phelps becoming the most medaled Olympic Athlete ever. Sorry, got a little sidetracked. Where was I?

Oh, that's right. Tommy's also most likely going to end up wearing spandex in ever color (and quite a few not) of the rainbow at least once in his lifetime.

When that fabulous (and note the sarcasm here, people) time changing incident occurred, there were a lot of things changed that weren't supposed to. Namely, the end of one of the Power Rangers super couples. Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart were never meant to break up when she went to Florida to train for the Pan Globals. Their relationship should have lasted through the Pan Globals and later the Olympics. The long distance relationship was supposed to work and he was supposed to propose after she won the Bronze for All Around Gymnast.

But due to unforeseen circumstances (namely Rita and Zedd), a whole mess of craziness occurred.

With the way the current timeline was going, Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart would not reunite for a year after he became Zordon to the Dino Thunder Power Rangers. They wouldn't marry for another three years after that.

WRONG!

This was all highly unacceptable. And because of this, a few of the higher beings and myself included decided to intervene on their behalf. We up on the higher plane watch all of the mortals down below as if you're a soap opera. And when one of our favorite "shows" involving a group of humans and not quite humans (that would be the Power Rangers for those not following) has a catastrophic event (well, in our eyes anyways) occur, then we must right it.

Now, intervening in the realm of the mortals is strictly forbidden. This is the first and foremost rule of being a higher power. But we just _had _to change things. And it wasn't like it was a big change or anything. They were still going to get married and it wouldn't adversely affect anything, so what was the harm in it?

Seriously though, it wasn't like anything was going to happen in this new timeline that we were creating that wouldn't have happened in the original one or the screwed up new one. It was quite similar to the original one in fact. The only difference was that Tommy and Kimberly had broken up via that stupid letter. Couples would still become Mr. and Mrs.s (is that phrase meant to be plural? Maybe not), Billy would still travel to Aquitar to regain his health and fall in love with Cestria and remain with her, all of the other Ranger teams (numerous as they are) would become teams, and Tommy would flit from Green to White to Red to Red to racecar driver to Paleontologist to high school Chemistry teacher to the Black Dino Thunder Ranger to even more.

Even though the change was a small one, it still took quite a bit of time for us to collect all of the energy necessary to enact the change. So much energy for a small change that was the most pivotal change that was ever to be made.

Tommy never wants to ask Kat out.

Ever.

And that changes everything

And really, it wasn't like anything bad was going to happen, right? We're super powered beings who exist in a separate dimension who, for all intents and purposes, just watch the time stream like it's on the television you mortals favor. It doesn't really matter that those of us who undertook the challenge to right the wrongs really are the equivalent of 20 year olds.


	2. Kim Never Wants To Get Kidnapped Again

Author's Note: I forgot to add in the last chapter that this was my NaNoWriMo submission and at the current moment this story stands at 77, 546 words. So expect to be in for the long haul here. I'd like to add that this chapter's pretty long as it starts at just about the beginning of the Turbo movie and lasts through when they get to the Command Center there.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter One: Kimberly Never Wants to Get Kidnapped Again – Ever – And She Means It  
(Even Though It's A Fair Bet That It's Going To Happen Again)**

_Date: May 16-20, 1997_

As soon as Jason had called Kimberly and told her that the Angel Grove Shelter was going to have to close its doors if they didn't raise enough money in order to keep it going, she said yes before he even asked if she wanted to help.

She missed Angel Grove. Sure, Florida was fun and she was really doing well with her gymnastics career, as evident by her Silver and Bronze medals from the Pan Global Games and her likely spot on the Olympic Team. But she missed her friends. It had been too long since she had seen them (she tried not to think of the when—Christmas—too often) and she really wanted to see them. And besides, she could help out while she was visiting. And she could maybe hopefully possibly try to go back to being friends with Tommy again.

She couldn't help it, but she missed him. They had been best friends on top of boyfriend and girlfriend. They understood each other in a way that nobody else ever had. And she did have her reasons for breaking up with him, reasons that she didn't prefer to think about, and she regretted that decision more than anything she'd ever done in her life.

But enough of such thoughts. Trini was doing something involving MIT and early college stuff and Zack was in the middle of something he wouldn't explain but Kimberly was certain had to do with the fact that he had met Angela again, Aisha was busy in Africa, and Billy was on another planet, so it looked like it was going to be just Kimberly and Jason.

Jason suggested that they take a little time together to "rebond" as he called it before subjugating themselves to the current Power Ranger team. Kimberly agreed and suggested scuba diving to him as it was something they both enjoyed, and they made preparations for it.

They were supposed to be meeting at the Angel Grove Airport, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. She scanned the crowd again, but no luck. Where was that boy?

"Kim!" a voice shouted from behind her.

She whirled around and saw Jason waving at her. "Jason!" she squealed, jumping on him. "Oh my gosh I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too sis," Jason said, hugging her to him tightly. "We've got to see each other more often than this."

"I promise we will," Kimberly said, loosening her hold on him. "How are Zack and Trini?"

"They're fine. We're all a little sad to be leaving the Teen Summit, but we've all got to move on in our lives," Jason said.

"Moving on sucks," Kimberly pouted, remembering all too clearly the feeling of leaving the Power Rangers behind.

"But we're back now. And we've really got to see each other more often," Jason said again.

Kimberly agreed and the two headed towards baggage claim and then the exit. It didn't take long for them to get to Jason's house where they would be staying. Jason had asked his parents to not let any of their friends—or anyone at all, really-to know that they'd be back in town, so it was going to be a fairly large surprise when they appeared at the Championship Match to show their support.

Mrs. Scott (or Mom-Scott as everyone who wasn't named Jason had tended to call her when the original five Power Rangers were in Elementary School) was overjoyed to see Jason and Kim as Kim hadn't been around in ages even in Jason had come to visit on occasion. The two former Power Rangers crashed for the night, wanting to get an early start the next morning for their scuba diving adventure.

The next day everything went wrong.

It had actually started out perfectly fine, with Mrs. Scott making the two of them a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. And they had even had fun goofing around before getting into the water.

It was only minutes before Kimberly felt her air supply cut off. Panic set in and turned into something more like fury when she realized that someone was doing it on purpose. She struggled a bit, but the water made her movements sluggish and slow.

She and Jason were hauled into some sort of fish shaped ship and they gasped for breath, coughing up water as they were stripped of their tanks. There was a very ugly looking woman standing in front of them as she ordered them to be thrown into the hold. She and Jason were dumped into something that felt a heck of a lot like a brig instead of a hold. It was full of cold water and Kimberly was getting more pissed off by the second.

And whatever crazy, alien lady that was up above them knew that she and Jason were former Power Rangers.

After she and Jason examined the cell they were in, they came to the conclusion that the only way to get out would be to pop the seal on the wall. What kind of villain gave their prisoners a way out?

The two began to make tools from what they had with them to pop open the seal when they heard the woman talking about how lucky they were to have found two humans of purity and strength so quickly.

"So we've got purity and strength?" Jason mused.

"You're _pure_," Kimberly teased. "And I was sure that you and Trini were getting up to stuff at the Summit."

"We're not like that," Jason muttered, flushing.

"I think it's cute!" Kimberly said. "You and Trini make a cute couple!"

"You don't think she'd be better off with someone like Billy?" Jason asked.

Kimberly looked up at Jason in surprise. "Billy?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Jason said tersely, avoiding her questioning gaze. "Everybody always said those two would get together when we were younger."

"Jason, Trini doesn't like Billy that way. And Billy's all the way on Aquitar because he fell in love with Cestria. I doubt the boy is in love with Trini. They're _friends_, Jase. They've always only been friends."

"But everyone said…" Jason began.

"Jason, Trini's head over heels for _you_. She has been since first grade," Kimberly laughed. "You two make a really cute couple. Don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise."

When the two had finished making their tools from the odds and ends lying around under the water in the brig or hold or whatever it was.

"You ready for this?" Jason asked her as they prepared to attempt to pry the seal off of the door in the wall of their cell.

"I'm as ready for this as is possible," Kimberly said. "Let's do it."

The two of them began to pry the bolts securing the covering to the door. Water slowly began to trickle in but then began to spurt out of the wall. The two managed to get Bulk and Skull out of the ship though they had no idea how they'd managed to get in the ship in the first place. Kimberly managed to escape even though she had gotten stuck briefly. Jason had freed her and she thought he was right behind her, but when she clawed her way to the surface he was nowhere to be seen. She called out for him, but couldn't find him anywhere.

After a few panicked minutes she gave in and headed for shore, but she was exhausted. The next thing she knew she was on the beach, coughing weakly. She looked up and saw some very strange looking natives. She struggled against them, but they hauled her off and tied her onto a stretcher of some kind.

As she was carried up the volcano she heard the word, "Maligore" repeated quite a number of times. She had heard the crazy woman in the ship (whose name she thought might be Divatox) mention the word more than once.

Eventually the natives made their way up the volcano where they met up with Divatox again. Kimberly was relieved to see that Jason was all right, but he looked worried in comparison. Divatox managed to get the natives on her side by making some little alien do some magic and Kimberly and Jason were dragged inside the volcano.

She was forcibly removed from the stretcher and her hands were bound and hung from a hook next to Jason. Divatox began speaking to the lava pit, most of which Kimberly didn't pay attention to as she tried to figure a way to get down without falling into the lava bubbling away below her.

Then Divatox said, "Come forth and let evil twist their souls," and Kimberly really began to panic. Drums started beating and the natives that had brought her to this room of doom and gloom began to work themselves into a frenzy. Then the hook jerked and they were being lowered down into the pit.

But then something that Kimberly had secretly been waiting for happened.

The Power Rangers arrived.

Her eyes immediately went to Tommy as he asked, "Hey, did we miss the party?"

"Who invited you?" Divatox asked.

"We did," Kimberly said proudly. "Rangers, this is Divatox. Divatox, this is your worst nightmare."

Her happiness at seeing the Power Rangers quickly went to the back burner when the hook started lowering her and Jason back down. Rocky ran to the winch to stop the two of them from being lowered any more. But as she watched him fight the creature that had been lowering them, she wondered what was going on. Rocky could fight much better than that. He'd been a Power Ranger for three years. But Kimberly and Jason stopped moving any lower when the creature was pulled away.

Kimberly didn't know who to watch. Everyone was fighting to get to her and Jason, but it didn't seem like anyone was making any headway. Rocky (or the not – Rocky) was doing pretty badly in comparison, making her worry for his safety.

The hook Jason and Kimberly were attached to began to lower again and Kimberly couldn't help but let out a little scream. The monster that was now at the winch was moving much more quickly than his predecessor was. She heard Tommy call out for her and her eyes went to him, but he was already fighting to get to them.

Divatox was laughing even as Kimberly called out for help and Jason began cursing under his breath. All she had time for was one last glance at the Rangers fighting towards them before they were below the rim of the pit. Tommy called her name once more and then everything became fuzzy for a while.

She could only dimly see what was going on, and didn't seem to have any control over her motions. There was a flash of fire and she appeared on the rim of the pit, Jason standing next to her. She turned to face the Power Rangers and felt rage fill the part of her that was in control. The part that wasn't in control felt fear. She snapped her manacles and she realized that something bad was going to happen very, very soon.

Divatox ordered them to destroy the Power Rangers and even though Kimberly tried her hardest to regain control of her body, she threw Tommy aside with a feeling of bitter hatred towards him. She turned on Adam and once he was down she went to Tanya and put her hands around her throat.

Inside, Kimberly was crying out against the atrocities she was doing to her friends. She didn't want to destroy them. They were her friends! She was still in love with Tommy for crying out loud! This was not her! And Jason obviously wasn't in control of himself either because he was trying to kill Rocky (even though Kim was pretty sure that it wasn't Rocky at this point).

She left Tanya before she managed to do anything else to her friend and turned her attention on Kat.

Okay, yes, there was a little animosity in Kim's heart towards the new Pink Ranger to start with, but not this unadulterated hatred and rage that the part of her in control was feeling. Sure, she wasn't too thrilled with the fact that Kat had seemingly become her replacement in every way; on the team, with her friends, and with Tommy. But she had given up Tommy for that.

And then Tommy was in front of her, stopping her from harming Kat. He tried reasoning with her, but the part in control struggled with her, fighting and scratching for control of her body.

But Tommy had always given her strength, and this fueled her to grit her teeth and fight back even as Tommy took off his helmet.

'_No you don't,'_ she growled to the evil taking over her body.

But then Kat spoke and the evil surged back and thrust Kim back into the cage she had been in. Jason leapt on Tommy and Kimberly whirled on Kat, kicking her away.

'_NO!'_ Kimberly shrieked in her mental prison as Jason and Tommy made their way to the lava pit. She didn't want either boy to get hurt in this battle. But her body had other ideas. She fought, kicked, scratched, bit, everything, but nothing seemed to work.

Then a feeling of love and happiness filled her and she could suddenly control her body again. A quick glance showed her that the little creature had saved her. "Thank you," she whispered, but then she heard Jason speak.

"Now I'm the one with the muscles and the power!"

Her gaze whipped back to Jason and Tommy's struggle just in time to see Tommy kick Jason over the edge of the pit. But Tommy twisted and managed to grab onto Jason before he fell out of reach.

"Tommy!" Kimberly shouted and was running towards them before she was even aware of what she was doing. Just as she could see Tommy's grip slipping, she flung herself on the rim of the pit and grabbed onto Jason's arm with both of her hands.

"I'm with you," she said, looking over at Tommy. Their eyes met and the spark flared into life once more. Just being next to him was bringing up all sorts of feelings that she really didn't have time to think about at the moment.

Between the two of them they managed to drag Jason over the rim of the pit, but an explosion from the pit sent them all flying back. She glanced at Jason to make sure he was all right, and he was as he was getting up, before she glanced at Tommy and their eyes locked again. His eyes conveyed a million different things to her, but mostly the desire for her to get out of there. She nodded and ran to Lerigot and his family, freeing them from the cage they were in and getting them out of the way of the fighting. She glanced back at Tommy one last time to see him fighting before she herself went back into the fight.

Some monsters circled her, but she ran to give herself the advantage, turning and kicking some serious butt if she said so herself. Then Jason was at her side and she didn't even have time to prepare for the attack he threw her way. But he passed by her and knocked a monster out of the way.

There was some playful banter, but underneath that was the relief that they were both okay.

Flames shot out of the lava pit and a large claw appeared on the edge. The Rangers got ready and Jason and Kim glanced at each other. This would not be pretty at all.

Maligore (or what Kim assumed was Maligore) climbed up out of the pit and Kimberly could only stare.

He was big and huge and really looked like he was made of just lava. He walked towards Divatox as the Rangers whipped out their new and improved weapons. The Rangers opened fire, but to Kim's horror nothing happened.

Jason pulled her back to where Lerigot and his family were, but Kimberly only had eyes for her friends. She heard them call for their Zords, but Maligore sent an electrical wave through his hands at them, shocking them all. She couldn't quite hear what was said, but Adam lay on the ground, seemingly unable to move. Maligore turned to glance at Divatox for some reason and Adam was able to scramble away.

"We've got to get out of here," Jason said. "I think it's going to blow."

Kimberly glanced back at the retreating Power Rangers and she helped Lerigot and his wife out of the chamber through a side passage.

Outside of the volcano they appeared in the lush jungle, running straight into Bulk and Skull with a group of the natives. Lerigot waved his wand, causing sparks to fly. The natives shrunk back in terror and Lerigot sent sparks flying in their direction and they ran away in terror.

There was a rumbling, crashing noise from the side and Kimberly glanced around in alarm.

"They'll be fine, Kim," Jason said. "They're the Power Rangers."

"But Rocky wasn't acting like himself!" Kimberly said. "It was like he didn't know how to fight at all."

"I don't know if it was Rocky," Jason said. "When I was … attacking him, it didn't sound like him. He sounded a heck of a lot younger."

"You don't think he got turned into a kid again? Like with the Zeo Crystal?" Kimberly asked.

"Anything's possible, but I hope that didn't happen," Jason said.

A burst of fire startled the two and they stared as Maligore's figure grew to larger proportions. Yet he waited for the Megazord to be completed before attacking.

"Why do they always wait for the Megazord to be ready to kick their butts before attacking?" she asked Jason.

"You think I know? I'm just glad they always do it. Maybe they have an evil villain code of attack like Zordon told us," Jason said.

"No escalating a battle, no stepping on the monster with the Megazord because that is escalating a battle," Kimberly said. "Still think we should have squished Goldar."

"That would have been good," Jason agreed.

The battle between the Megazord and Maligore was just as short as all of the other battles against Megazords. Maligore didn't get many good hits in and the Megazord summoned a sword and a shield out of thin air, which helped them greatly.

"Is the Megazord flying?" Jason asked in astonishment.

"Looks more like hovering to me," Kimberly said.

The Megazord slashed Maligore across the gut and he tumbled into the ocean, billows of steam issuing forth.

"Yeah!" Kimberly shouted, but the ground started to tremble.

"I think it's gonna blow!" Jason said. "We've got to get out of here."

"Head for the Megazord," Kimberly said, grabbing Skull's arm to propel him through the jungle. Jason helped Lerigot and his wife along while Bulk followed them mindlessly.

"Need a ride?" Tommy asked from within the Megazord when they came out of the jungle undergrowth. One of the Megazord's hands extended down to the ground and Kimberly and Jason helped everyone up onto it. A hole opened up in the "palm" of the hand where the "wrist" met it and Tommy called through it, "Climb on up. Sorry about that."

Kimberly and Jason made sure that Lerigot and his wife went first, followed by Bulk and Skull. Kimberly went next, and then Jason followed after her. The climb up to the head of the Megazord was long, uncomfortable, and slightly claustrophobic, but Kimberly made it all the way up. As soon as she was sure Bulk and Skull were okay because they did seem really out of it.

As soon as she saw the Power Rangers she ran to Tanya. "Oh Tanya, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it! I'm so sorry I tried to choke you!"

"Hey, it's okay," Tanya said, hugging Kimberly back. "It's totally all right. I know you didn't mean it." Kimberly sighed in relief, but still felt lingering traces of guilt. "What's up with Bulk and Skull?"

Kimberly glanced at the two who were staring around the Megazord's cockpit in confusion.

"What's up with Rocky?" Kim asked quietly.

Tanya was silent for a few seconds before answering. "That's not Rocky."

"What?" Kim hissed.

"Rocky … Rocky hurt his back practicing for the Championship. That's Justin Stewart," Tanya said.

"Who?" Kim asked.

"He's eleven or twelve," Tanya said.

"Where's Rocky? He's not hurt badly, is he?" Kimberly asked.

"He's in the hospital," Tanya said, but quickly added, "He should be fine, Kim, don't worry."

The Megazord titled to the side, causing everybody to reach for something to grab a hold of to steady themselves. The tilting soon stopped and Kimberly looked over at Bulk and Skull (who had apparently caused the shift in balance) right in time to see them convulsing and collapsing to the floor.

"Do you think they're okay?" Kat asked.

"Probably," Jason said. "It's not like they don't have hard heads or anything. And they've been acting pretty weird the whole time. Maybe they've finally gotten back to normal."

"Let's hope they think all of this was a dream then," Adam said.

"Hey," Kimberly said suddenly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a little shock to the system," Adam said.

"Let's head back to Earth," Tommy said.

"Rocky has to be worried," Kat agreed.

The trip back to Earth didn't take long at all, but Kimberly was worried about going to the Power Chamber to see Lerigot off. She hadn't seen Zordon since she left the Power Ranger team, and she couldn't help but think that he might be disappointed with her. She had spoken of her desire to compete with him and he had agreed that it was her choice if she wished to leave the Power Rangers, but she could tell that he didn't want her to leave.

They all decided to keep Bulk and Skull in the Megazord as they were still unconscious, and headed down to the Power Chamber. Kimberly held back, torn between running for Zordon and telling him everything and staying away because he would _know_ that something was wrong and she didn't know if she was ready to talk about it yet.

Adam, noticing that she wasn't with them, turned back and waited for her. "You going to be okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," Kimberly said quietly.

"Come on," Adam said. "Let's go."

Kimberly wasn't too emotionally vested in saying goodbye to Lerigot and his wife, but she was grateful that he had saved both her and Jason from the evil spell. She still felt traces of it on her skin, almost like a thin layer of some dirt of oil that wouldn't leave. She couldn't wait to get back to Jason's house to take a shower.

As soon as Lerigot and his wife left for their home, Kat started talking about heading back to Angel Grove to make sure that everybody knew they weren't missing and to check on Rocky. Jason wanted to hang around the Power Chamber some more and see what changes had been made since he had lost the Gold Ranger Powers (not that there really were any), so Kat and Tanya went back early with Justin. Tommy and Adam stayed behind to give Kimberly and Jason rides back.

Kimberly was grateful that Adam had offered to give her a ride back instead of making Tommy do it. Tommy and Jason were on far better terms than she and Tommy were. And it seemed an even better thing as it took a fair bit of time to get back to Angel Grove.


	3. The Championship

Author's Note: This is also a part of the Turbo movie, mainly the Championship with a little bit of an after party that is not shown in the movie. I'd also like to say that I reread the last chapter and found that I didn't like it too much. It summarized instead of illuminated if that makes any sense. I do have up to chapter 20 or so written out completely, but I screwed up the dates so I have to redo those past chapter four. The dates, as much as they're annoying me at the moment, need to stay because shortly I'll be jumping ahead a lot and you'll just get confused otherwise.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Two: The Championship  
(And Where Jason and Kimberly Have A Talk About Relationships) **

_Date: May 20-22, 1997_

As soon as Jason and Kimberly got back to Mrs. Scott's house they were worried about having to explain where they'd been, but Mrs. Scott had actually not even been home herself for the past few days. There was a note on the inside of the front door that read

_Dear Jason,  
Your father and I have to go visit my parents for a few days. Nothing to worry about, but dad's got it into his head again to try some extreme sport involving flying. You know how he gets. We'll hopefully be back with news that your grandfather hasn't broken anything this time.  
Sorry,  
Mom and Dad _

"Well, that's handy," Jason said.

"Your grandfather tries to do extreme sports?" Kimberly asked curiously.

"Yeah," Jason said with a shrug. "He's a little crazy sometimes.

"Do you want the shower first?" Kimberly asked.

"Nah, you can take it. You okay though? You keep rubbing your arms," Jason said.

"I, ah, feel like there's a layer of … evil or something," Kim said.

"Gotcha. Feel the same way," Jason said. "Thanks for saving me, by the way."

"You're my big brother," Kimberly said. "Of course I was going to save you."

After the two had showered and felt evil free, they settled in to eat something. "You know, Tommy and I talked about you," Jason said.

"You did?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah. He asked me if I knew why you did it."

Jason didn't have to explain what 'it' was. "And what did you say?"

"I lied," Jason said. "Kim, you really need to talk to him. He's hurting."

"You think I'm not?" Kim asked.

"I know you are. I just really think you two need to talk," Jason said.

"He seems to be happy with Kat."

"Kim, he's not interested in Kat," Jason said slowly. "Yeah, she's got a crush on him, but he's still head over heels about you. He never stopped."

"He's … he's not interested in Kat?"

"Never was, Kim."

"Oh. But, but that still doesn't change the reason why I did it."

"You need to tell him _why_ you did it. Even if you two don't get back together you need to tell him the truth this time."

**********

The first thing Kimberly did the day after she arrived back in Angel Grove was to go and visit Rocky in the hospital. Well, that was the second thing. The first thing she did was to go to the nearest toy store and get Rocky a present. Then she went to the hospital.

"Hey, you," she said, standing in the doorway.

"Kim!" Rocky said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Jason and I decided that we were going to help out with the Shelter. But then we got kidnapped and offered to Maligore as Divatox's wedding present to her future husband. Then there was some brainwashing and there was some rescuing involved. But now we're back and completely evil-free."

"Well, I'd have to say that you're couple of days was much worse than mine," Rocky grinned.

"Somehow I doubt that," Kimberly said. She held the toy behind her back as she walked towards the bed. "How bad is it?"

"I'll be able to get up by tomorrow evening. So I'll be fine to go to the Championship. But I don't know how it's going to happen. I can't compete and we don't have an alternate."

Kimberly frowned. "Hm. That's a good point. There isn't anyone who could help out?"

"Nobody," Rocky said. Then his face brightened. "You don't think Jason could help out, do you?"

"That's a great idea, Rocky!" Kimberly grinned. "I'm sure Jason would love to help. And I got this for you," she said, presenting him with the toy.

Rocky's face lit up and he took the stuffed ape happily. "It's red."

"And blue," Kimberly said, handing him its twin.

"You got me two?" Rocky asked.

"Yup," Kimberly grinned. "I saw the blue one after the red one."

"I'm surprised you found blue and red ones to start with," Rocky said.

"It wasn't hard," Kimberly said. "Besides Rocky, you're one of my best friends. I'm just so sorry about it."

"It's entirely my fault," Rocky said. "I was pushing myself too hard."

"But Rocky…"

"It's fine Kim," Rocky said. "Seriously. And I'll be up in no time. And now I get to be retired like you."

Kimberly noticed the slight sheen to Rocky's eyes as he said that and only the slightest break in his voice. "Oh Rocky," she said sadly.

"How can you stand it, Kim?" he asked, dropping the happy mask completely.

"I … I think we all need outlets when we're done. Ways to get an adrenaline rush or just ways to take our minds off of it. I mean, Jason and Trini and Zack all worked themselves to the bone at the Teen Summit. I have gymnastics to wear me out," Kimberly said.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now," Rocky said.

"You'll find something," Kimberly said.

**********

Kimberly had volunteered to pick Rocky up from the hospital and bring him to the Championship so that nobody else would end up missing any of it. Everyone figured that Kim probably needed to spend some time away from Tommy. The two were acting very awkwardly around each other after all.

Kimberly herself was glad for missing the start of the Tournament. Seeing Tommy fight was always something that she enjoyed in the past. Now that they were on such awkward terms, she didn't really enjoy it as much. Now it just made her think of what she lost. Whenever she thought of Tommy at all she thought of Martial Arts and Power Rangers, of green and white and red, or dragons and tigers and falcons.

"Thanks for doing this Kimberly," Rocky said when they had driven for a few minutes.

"It's no problem at all, Rocky," Kim said. "And besides, I don't mind."

"Still, it's really great of you to do this. I hope the guys do well. The Shelter could really use the twenty five thousand dollars," Rocky said.

"Yeah," Kimberly said. "So, how have things been lately? We haven't really been able to talk privately about stuff."

"Things have been like you'd expect with crazy aliens trying to take over the world," Rocky laughed.

"Yeah, I can remember that part pretty well," Kim laughed too. "So, what's up with Aisha?"

"Nothing," Rocky said, though Kim could see a faint trace of a blush on his cheeks.

"Really?" Kim asked.

"That's not what I heard from some others," Kim teased.

"You talked to the others about us?" Rocky asked.

"Hey! I'm a Pink! I'm the girly one! I have to ask about things like that," Kim said. "And besides, it was just Adam."

"I'm never telling him anything again," Rocky muttered.

"Rocky, it's okay," Kim said. "I got the feeling that she liked you too."

"You did?" Rocky asked.

"And I also got the feeling that you were going to ask her out. Did you?" Kim asked.

"…Maybe…" Rocky said.

"And…" Kim said.

"And what?"

"What happened?" Kim asked excitedly.

"Uh, I'd rather not say," Rocky blushed.

"Rocky!" Kim giggled.

"Okay. No more talking about my love life. Look! We're here!" Rocky said as they came into view of the arena.

"All right," Kim grinned. "No more making Rocky nervous."

Kim parked the car and hurried to the other side to help Rocky out. "So, what now?"

"I'm going to head down to the ring to see the coach," Rocky said.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah, no worries," Rocky said as the two headed into the arena. The two split, Kim heading towards where she saw Tanya, Kat, and Justin in the stands while Rocky headed down to the ring.

Clearly they'd arrived just in time as the competition was in the final rounds. Angel Grove versus Stone Canyon.

Jason scored the first point of the match right when Rocky got down to the side of the ring. Adam scored the next point even as Jason continued fighting. Tommy scored the final point and Kimberly couldn't help but find herself rushing to the edge of the ring with the rest of the citizens of Angel Grove. She grabbed Jason's hands and grinned up at him.

"Congratulations," she mouthed at him as the cheering friends and family were being far too loud to have any semblance of a conversation. Tommy grabbed Justin to the left of her and hauled him up onto the ring and then onto his shoulders. Adam and Rocky passed the trophy up to Justin, who raised it in the air.

**********

Everyone was gathered at the Juice Bar after the Championship Tournament to celebrate the big win. Ernie had already planned on having a party there to either mourn their loss or celebrate their win (which he thought was far more likely.)

The competitors themselves were a little late as Adam and Rocky were nearly attacked (in a friendly way, of course) by their former classmates and friends from Stone Canyon. When they finally got there, the party was in full swing.

Soon the Rangers and three former Rangers were chatting amongst the people in the Juice Bar. Jason was keeping a close eye on Kim in case things got too much for her with Tommy there. He had lost sight of her and was talking to some of his parents' friends when a shrill voice bellowed surprisingly loud, "Uncle Jason!" and something crashed into his chest.

"Megan?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom brought me. She said Aunt Kim was going to be here. But you're here. You have so got to stay away from Switzerland. I missed you. Where are Aunt Trini and Uncle Zack and Uncle Billy? I don't see them anywhere." The eleven year old niece of the original Pink Power Ranger stared up at him with a wide smile.

"Uh, Billy's out of town and Trini's at MIT, and Zack is still in Switzerland," Jason said. His parents' friends said their goodbyes and made their way away from Jason and Megan as he tried to detach the girl from him.

"Oh boo. In that case where's Aunt Kim?" Megan asked.

Jason scanned the room, not finding Kim anywhere. "I don't know. Hey Adam! You seen Kim lately?"

"She just headed out," Adam said. "You want me to go get here?" He eyed Megan with interest. "Seeing as you're occupied at the moment."

"I'll get her!" Megan said cheerfully. "I've got stuff to tell her!" Megan skipped off happily, heading for the door amongst the throngs of people celebrating.

"Who was that?" Kat asked as she came over to the two.

"She's Kim's niece," Adam said.

"She's her niece?" Kat asked in confusion. "She looks like she's Justin's age."

"She is," Jason said. "Her mom's way older than us."

"I am not _way_ older than you, Jason Lee Scott," a fond voice said from behind him.

"Hey Laura," Jason said, grinning at the short brunette woman. Even though she was barely taller than Kimberly, she was obviously the older sister. She and Kimberly shared quite a number of features with each other. Both had the same shade of brown hair and brown eyes as well as the perky smile.

"I'm only 31. Which is admittedly 13 years older than you, but still. I'm barely even thirty," Laura said. "Hi, I'm Laura Wright. I'm Kimberly's older sister."

"I'm Katherine Hillard," Kat said. "I didn't know Kim had an older sister."

Laura frowned slightly. "Yeah, mom and dad sorta don't like my choice in husband material so they don't really talk about me much."

"Yeah, but your husband's pretty cool," Jason said.

"Yeah he is. Nice to see you again, Adam. And it's nice to meet you Katherine. I haven't met you before."

"Kat moved here right before Kim left for Florida," Jason said. "That was right about when you stopped visiting."

"Well, the only reason why I cam was to see my baby sister. And her surrogate family of miscreants," Laura said teasingly.

"We are not miscreants," Jason told her. "We're the farthest thing from it. Do you remember the part where Zack, Trini, and I went to the _World Peace Conference_?"

"No. I don't know what you're talking about," Laura said with a grin.

Megan came back over to the group. "There you are mom. Aunt Kim says she wants to talk to you. She's outside. Says it's about boys and how I would never understand. I think it's about Tommy."

"And you know _nothing_ about boys," Laura said with a teasing grin. "All right. This had better have something to do with her crazy phone call after Christmas."

Laura left, leaving Jason, Adam, and Kat looking at each other in confusion.

"Aunt Kim called our house crying and hysterical," Megan said. "Mom won't tell me what it was about though."

"Ah," Jason said.

"So, does this really have anything to do with Tommy?" Megan asked. "Because Mom told me that they broke up."

"Uhm," Jason said, glancing at Tommy across the room.

"I'll take that as a yes," Megan said. "So … How're Aunt Trini and Uncle Zack and Uncle Billy? Other than not here."

"They're fine. You know, trying to figure out college, but you get the idea," Jason said. "Can't tell you much about Billy though. I haven't heard from him lately."

"Mmkay," Megan said. "I _have_ to get Tommy to talk to Aunt Kim!" She said this last part to herself.

"Why?" Jason asked.

"Because she's horribly depressed most of the time," Megan said. "Though it's not just from breaking up with Tommy."

"Why else is she depressed?" Adam asked.

"Because she lost her job here in Angel Grove," Megan said.

"She didn't have a job here in Angel Grove," Jason said.

"Yes she did," Megan said knowingly. "Just like you did, Uncle Jason. And just like Uncle Adam does and Kat does."

"We don't have jobs," Adam said.

"Yes you do," Megan said with a grin. "Red," she said pointing to Jason. "As well as Uncle Rocky. Black and green," she said, pointing to Adam. "And Pink after Aunt Kim," she said, pointing to Kat. "Aunt Trini's Yellow, or was. Aunt Aisha was Yellow next. Don't know who it is now. Tommy was Green, White, and now Red. When he took Red Uncle Rocky took Blue after Uncle Billy lefted. Uncle Zack was the first Black."

Jason, Adam, and Kat could only stare at Megan in shock. "Uh, what do you mean?" Jason finally asked.

"You can't be serious," Megan said, staring at Jason as if to say he was stupid. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. And believe me, I won't tell anybody. I'm a Ninja."

"Ninja?" Adam asked.

"Totally. That's why Mom, Dad, and I are moving here," Megan said. "There's an Academy out in Blue Bay Harbor. Mom and Dad are going to teach there and I'm going to attend."

"You're really a Ninja?" Adam asked.

"Well, I haven't started my training yet, but I'm going to be one soon," Megan said.

"Your Mom's a Ninja?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Megan said. "So's Dad. Which is why Dad's so strange sometimes. And also why Grandma and Grandpa don't like him too much."

"Do they know?" Kat asked.

"No," Megan said. "They don't like how he apparently doesn't have a career. But it's not like he can go around telling people that he teaches kids how to kick butt via ninja skills."

"Good point," Jason said slowly. "How did you figure it out?"

"I'm observant. I realized Tommy showed up when the Green did and that he magically became friends with you guys. I also recognized all of your fighting styles in the news clips. And you guys didn't do a good job of changing your voices."

"Really?" Adam asked, starting to feel nervous.

"Don't worry," Megan said. "I'm just really observant and probably have a little too much time on my hands. I really doubt anybody else would make the connection."

"Megan?" Tommy asked from behind her. "Is that you?"

"Hey Tommy," Megan said.

"What are you doing here?" Tommy asked.

"Bothering people," Megan said. "For example, I figured out your guys's secret regarding your jobs."

"What do you mean by that?" Tommy asked.

"She knows, Tommy," Kat said.

"And she's apparently going to be a Ninja," Adam said.

"I can keep a secret really well," Megan said. "And besides, my parents are going to teach at the Wind Academy in Blue Bay Harbor. So totally going to be amazing."

"There's a Ninja Academy in Blue Bay Harbor?" Tommy asked.

"And there's one just outside of Reefside," Megan said. "But yeah. The real reason why I'm here is because Mom heard that Aunt Kim was going to be here. Only she's vanished outside to mope."

"I haven't seen her since the Championship," Tommy said.

"Yeah, she's hiding outside somewhere being all depressed and stuff like that," Megan said. "It's actually quite depressing. Though I think she wants to talk to you."

"About what?" Tommy asked.

"Oh you know very well what," Megan said.

Tommy nodded and headed off.

"You are evil," Jason said.

"Not really, just morally ambiguous and relatively devious," Megan grinned. "And besides, they really do need to talk."


	4. The Talk

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I honestly meant to before this...but I forgot. I know, silly me. But now Tommy and Kimberly have that all important talk.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Three: The Talk  
(Or Where Kimberly Studiously Stares At The Sky Even As Tommy Stares At Her)**

_Date: May 22, 1997_

By the time Tommy finally found Kimberly, he had gotten sidetracked by at least twelve different people offering congratulations on the win and thanks for donating the money to the shelter. She was standing against the building in the slight rain that had started.

"Kimberly?" he asked.

She looked over at him, clearly not expecting to have anyone find her. "Tommy?"

"Hi."

"Hi."

The two stood awkwardly in the rain for a minute. "You want to go inside? It's raining."

"I'm fine," Kimberly said quietly. "It's not bad out here."

Tommy had no idea of what to say to her, so he just stood there watching her.

She had gone back to staring up at the stars that were starting to come out again. "Congratulations on the win," she said.

"Thanks. I had help though."

There was another awkward silence.

"So uh," Tommy began, but couldn't continue. He tried again. "Megan said you might want to talk to me?"

"Yeah," Kimberly said. "I owe you an apology Tommy."

"You don't owe me anything, Kim," Tommy said.

"Yes I do. I need to apologize to make myself feel better even if it doesn't make you feel any better about it," Kimberly said. "Please don't interrupt me while I tell you. I don't think I can continue if I stop."

"All right," Tommy said.

Kimberly took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "None of you have any idea how much I cried after I left for Florida, not even Trini and I've told her everything since I was six. There's a lot of what I'm going to say that she doesn't know everything about. I've told her, Jason, and Zack some of it, but not everything. Florida was everything I'd ever dreamed of. People told me I was good at gymnastics. After all, how could I not be with all of the practice we got in kicking monster butt?"

Tommy had to smile at that. Kimberly always had used more gymnastics oriented moves when fighting.

"But underneath it all, I was depressed. I missed you guys so badly. And I was going through some crazy mood swings after giving the Power to Kat. Trini, Jason, and Zack didn't have that because they still had their coins. All I had was the Ninjetti Power, and it was weak due to the fact that Kat had some of it. I would be perfectly find one second and then want to bawl the next. I'd have tons of energy and then none at all. Coach even had to have an awkward chat with me about 'female troubles.'" Kimberly laughed at that but sobered quickly. "I finally managed to get it under control a little bit through meditation. I was a real mess for a while, Tommy. I managed to pull myself together for the Pan Global Competition but I crashed right after that. I wouldn't come out of my room for three days I was so exhausted emotionally and mentally. Everyone assumed it was because it was my first formal competition, but that wasn't why."

"Coming home helped in some ways, but not in others," Kimberly continued. "I got to see my friends again which helped to emotionally balance me. That was the happiest I had been in a while. But I saw how Kat was with everyone else. It wasn't until after I got back to Florida that I started thinking about it again. I had crashed again after I got back, so I wasn't in a good place at the time. To the very emotionally turbulent me, it seemed like Kat had fully replaced me on the team in all ways. She was the Pink Ranger, the emotional rock of the team, and she even has the same damn initials as me."

Tommy hadn't realized that Kim and Kat had the same initials until right then. Tommy wanted to tell her that Kat hadn't taken Kim's place in any way, but he remembered what Kim had said about interruptions.

"And I wrote that damn letter," Kim said. "There wasn't any guy. There's never been anyone but you, Tommy. I just figured that you would be better off with Kat instead of me. Kat seemed to have already taken my place everywhere else, so why not in your heart as well? She was pretty blatant with her crush on you. I knew the letter was wrong and I regretted it as soon as I sent it, but I couldn't do anything about it. I just, I thought that it would be better for you to have someone there with you instead of me all the way in Florida."

She hadn't once looked at him the entire time she'd been speaking, but continually gazing up at the stars. She was silent for a few minutes before saying, "I've never stopped loving you Tommy, and I'm sorrier than you could ever imagine about what I did to us, to you. I just hope that you can find it in you to forgive me. And maybe we could go back to being friends again."

"I forgive you, Kimberly. But I don't want to be friends," Tommy said as he walked towards her. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again. Even from the side Tommy could see the resolve in them.

"If that's how you feel I'm okay with that," Kimberly said, brushing past Tommy.

He grabbed her arm and stopped her from moving past him. "Tommy?" she asked in confusion, looking into his eyes for the first time since she had started talking to him.

"I don't want to be friends because I want more," he told her fervently. "I want what we had back. I want my Beautiful back."

"Tommy?"

"I love you, Beautiful."

Kimberly's eyes filled with tears as she smiled slightly. He dipped his head closer to hers and hesitated for only the barest of seconds before laying his lips tenderly on hers. She whimpered slightly, clenching her eyes shut. Tommy let his grip around Kimberly's arm loosen as he pulled back.

"Kimberly Hart, will you be my girlfriend? Again?" Tommy asked.

"Yes," Kimberly laughed. "I don't think I could ever say no."

Tommy smiled and kissed her again. He meant to keep it short and sweet, but Kim had other ideas. One of her hands gripped the front of his shirt as the other wrapped around his neck.

They hadn't done much else than kissing while they had been dating due to the frequent monster attacks, and this felt like coming home. They had each missed each other intensely. This wasn't a case of puppy love, of a high school romance. This was the real deal. This was the forever and ever kind of love. The till death do us part kind. And maybe even beyond death love.

Tommy never could say no to Kim no matter what it was, and the kiss quickly turned into something not so short and sweet.

"Well, this isn't what I had imagined when it came to the two of you having a _talk_," a voice said from behind them.

The two sprung apart, startled expressions on their faces.

Jason, Adam, and Rocky stood smirking not far from them. "Hey sis," Jason said.

"Having a good time _making up_?" Rocky asked.

"Shut up," Tommy said.

"Clear out, guys," Tanya said from the doorway behind the three Rangers. "Leave them alone, okay?"

"Sorry guys," Adam said, following Tanya away.

"He is _so_ whipped," Rocky grinned. Jason grinned in agreement.

"Like you aren't with Aisha?" Kimberly asked with a raised eyebrow. "And you with Trini?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rocky said. "Come on, let's leave the two lovebirds to their making up."

Kimberly looked up at Tommy with a slight smile on her face. "This doesn't fix us, you know," she said.

"I know," Tommy said. "We've got a lot to talk about still. Want to head to the Park?"

Kimberly nodded and the two headed off, oblivious to the fact that all of their friends had their faces pressed to the glass of the windows and doors.

"YES!" Megan shouted, jumping up happily. "Where's my mother? Where's my mother?" She ran off into the crowd of people still in the Youth Center.

"They totally just made up, didn't they?" Tanya asked.

"I think so," Adam said.

"Oh thank God," Tanya sighed. "I don't think any of us could stand to see him that depressed anymore."

"I have to call Trini," Jason said, heading towards Ernie. "She'll kill me if she hears about this from Kimberly and finds out that I knew about it. Hey Ernie! Can I use the phone?"

"Why?" Ernie asked.

"Tommy and Kim just got back together," Jason said with a grin.

"Really?" Ernie asked. "That's great. Go ahead and use the phone."

Jason dialed Trini's room number, hoping that she'd pick up even though it was really early in the morning in Massachusetts.

"You will die," Trini growled into the phone after a few minutes of ringing.

"Even if I tell you that I walked in on Tommy and Kimberly making out like old times? And that they just walked off hand in hand?" Jason asked his sleep deprived girlfriend.

Trini let out a shriek and asked, "Are you serious? You had better not be kidding Jason Lee Scott!"

"I wouldn't joke about something this serious, Trini," Jason said. "They're back together. Not fixed, but back together."

"Oh thank God," Trini breathed, unknowingly echoing the current Yellow Ranger. "That is just fantastic. As soon as she comes back tell her to call me. I don't care what time it is. I need to know _everything_. But right now, I need sleep. And you sound like you're at a party. Did Angel Grove win?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "I'll tell you about it when Kim calls, okay?" He really didn't have the time or the privacy to explain exactly what had happened over the past few days.

"Mmkay," Trini said through a yawn. "Tell Kim to call me."

"I will," Jason said. "Now go back to sleep."

"I will," Trini said. "Night Jason."

"Night Trini." Jason hung up and grinned. Kimberly could call Trini once the two had gotten some sleep. Now he had to go celebrate the fact that his two best friends were back together. The Power Ranger Power Couple was officially back online.

Did he actually just think that? Dear God Trini was rubbing off on him.


	5. What To Do When The Power's Gone?

Author's Note: I have no excuse for the lack of updating. Just know that up to chapter 12 is ready to be posted. Everything else, not so much. At the current count, the fic is over 80,000 words, so expect to be in for the long haul.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Four: What To Do When The Power's Gone?  
(Racing Stock Cars Is So Not The Answer To The Adrenaline Problem)**

_Date: August 17, 1997; August 20, 1997_

Kimberly was _not_ having a good day. She had flubbed a beam routine that she had memorized perfectly and executed perfectly the day before, her car didn't start for a good fifteen minutes, she got stuck in traffic once her car had started, and GAH! It was not a good day for Miss Kimberly Ann Hart. Not a good day at all.

When she had gotten home to her apartment (thankfully she'd finally moved out of the house for the girls at the gymnastics training facility a while ago) the phone was ringing, which caused her to have to run to grab it, dropping her stuff in the doorway and stubbing her toe on the couch in the process.

So by the time she actually got to the phone, she was seriously hoping it was a telemarketer she could yell at. That was always a great way to vent anger and so on.

"I passed the power on," was the first thing Kimberly heard when she picked it up though.

"Tommy?" she asked, her mood instantly cooling at the soothing sound of her boyfriend's voice. "What do you mean?" Only she knew exactly what he meant. She felt the same sense of loss and exhaustion when she'd given the Power to Kat.

"I gave it away," Tommy said. "And now I really don't know what to do with myself."

"Oh Tommy," Kimberly sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry."

"It was time for it," Tommy said. "I can't be a Power Ranger forever."

"But you've been one for the longest," Kimberly said.

"Yeah," Tommy sighed. "I don't know what to do now."

"I'll tell you what I told Rocky. Find a way to get an adrenaline rush. Just preferably something that won't kill you. My theory is that you need to either have something that gives you the same adrenaline boost that being a Ranger does or something that works you to the bone and tires you out. Zack, Jason, and Trini had the Teen Summit to tire them out while I had gymnastics to give me that adrenaline boost."

"And we'll all need the same thing," Tommy sighed heavily.

"We?" Kimberly asked cautiously.

"We all decided it was time to move on. Justin's the one on the team with the most experience now," Tommy said.

"You, Adam, Kat, and Tanya all retired?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah," Tommy said. "We've got to have lives after being a Power Ranger. It's going to be hard … Really hard, but we've got to do it. I mean, Adam's going to college in the fall and Tanya's really interested in starting a music career and Kat wants to go into dancing. I'm the only one without any idea of what to do now."

"You'll think of something Handsome, you always do."

**********

"You want to go into stock car racing?" Kimberly asked her boyfriend a few weeks later.

"Yeah," Tommy said.

"Racing. Cars. At fast speeds. That could get you killed or mangled or worse," Kimberly said.

Tommy laughed at that. "I'll be fine, Kim. Don't worry."

"When I said adrenaline rush, I did _not_ mean death defying feats, okay?" Kim sighed, frustrated. "And somehow telling me not to worry isn't going to work out that well."

"I promise I'll be careful," Tommy said. "I handled the Turbo Zord just fine."

"Yeah, and Zords are semi-sentient!" Kimberly protested. "If you were about to crash it would have stopped it! Racecars are not sentient in any way!"

"I'll be fine," Tommy said. "You don't have to worry."

"I'm going to worry. You can't tell me to _not_ worry!" Kim said.

"Sorry," Tommy said, though he didn't sound apologetic at all.

"I hate you sometimes," Kim sighed in frustration. "You really need to stop telling me that you're going to do something dangerous."

"Fine," Tommy said. "I won't tell you anything anymore."

"You're insane," Kimberly said, shaking her head.

"I know," Tommy said. "So, how have you been?"

"Sucky day," Kim said. "Bad day at the gym and traffic and then when you called I stubbed my toe. So yeah. Bad day."

"Sorry about that," Tommy said.

The continued to talk, not really paying attention to how long it was even as Kimberly wandered into the kitchen to get food. They talked about anything that came to mind as long as it didn't have anything to do with speeding cars that could possibly kill Tommy in a fiery explosion. Kim only glanced at the clock once she started yawning.

"Wow. It's eighty thirty," she said in surprise.

"Is it really?" Tommy asked. "Wow. It is. Well, five thirty here. Now I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Kim teased.

"It's a Red thing," Tommy said unabashedly.

"Night Handsome."

"Night Beautiful."

**********

Author's Note: Hopefully I'll post a lot sooner than I did this time.


	6. College And Explosions

Author's Note: Okay, I lied. This wasn't up Saturday. But I messed it up because half of it had Zordon mentioned. And Zordon's sort of not in Turbo Rangers.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Five: College And Explosions  
(Kimberly Decides Gymnastics Is So Not For Her Long Term And There Are Some Explosions Off Camera – Though It's Really Off The Page)**

_Date: November 12, 1997; November 30, 1997_

Kimberly was finding more time to go and see Tommy than ever before. She was beginning to think that gymnastics wasn't really for her in the long run professionally. She did enjoy it, but she really couldn't do this forever and ever. She was thinking of going back to school. Maybe getting a degree in Business or something to open a gymnastics school.

Kimberly had no idea how to tell her boyfriend this, as she had no idea what he thought of her career other than she was spectacular and should really do it for as long as she wanted to. But frankly, the man was biased so she really had no idea what to do.

So, after much deliberating with Trini about how exactly to inform her boyfriend she was going to apply to college for the fall, Kimberly decided it was probably best to spring it on him in person. And she hadn't met the new team of Turbo Power Rangers anyways.

So Kimberly booked a flight to Angel Grove and planned to surprise the heck out of her boyfriend. Kimberly had planned on staying at a hotel, but Trini had told her mom that Kimberly was coming back for a visit, so Kimberly was going to be staying with the Kwan family.

The first thing she did after getting settled at the Kwan's house was to head to the Angel Grove Mall. There really wasn't anything like it. And if she was going to go to college, then she'd need to get clothes that weren't solely used for gymnastics purposes. Besides, she liked shopping a little too much.

After the shopping was done, she attempted to find her boyfriend, which was actually harder than she expected. His parents said he was out, but they had no idea where he was exactly. So Kim had far too much time on her hands now that she didn't know where her boyfriend was and had already gone shopping.

So she set about walking around town, taking in the sights and what she had missed. Quite a number of people came up to her and congratulated her on her gymnastics awards. Some of these people she didn't even know, but quite a few of them she did.

"Kimberly!" a voice called from behind her.

She turned to see a girl she vaguely remembered as being a year behind her in school. They hadn't really talked as Cassie was always with her best friend Ashley.

"Hi Cassie," Kimberly said.

"Hey," Cassie said as she caught up to Kimberly. "So, how's it been in Florida?"

"It's been great," Kimberly said, expecting another conversation about how her career was going. Apparently though, that wasn't to be the case.

"So, did Tommy or Adam or Kat or Tanya or Justin tell you about us?" Cassie asked her.

"Uh, no," Kimberly said, though she was hoping the conversation was not going to be "Hey! I know you're a Power Ranger!"

"Oh," Cassie said, frowning a bit. "They didn't?"

"No," Kimberly said. "What would they have told me?"

Cassie looked around quickly and said, "I took over for Kat when she left."

Ah. Bingo. "Oh! That's great, Cassie," Kimberly said. "Welcome to the family."

"The family?" Cassie asked.

"Family. All of us are a family now that we've shared the Power," Kimberly said. "I thought it was a good idea to do that when the team was starting getting new members."

"That's a great idea!" Cassie said. "So, why are you in town?"

"Visiting," Kimberly said honestly. She was visiting Tommy after all. Whether or not the purpose of the visit was to actually inform her darling boyfriend that she was going to college was a different matter entirely.

"Have you seen Tommy?" Cassie asked as the two headed off in the direction Kim had previously been walking in.

"No, not yet. His mom doesn't know where he is," Kim said.

"He's probably at the track," Cassie said. "TJ talks to him occasionally. He tries to keep contact with us limited."

"Yeah," Kim said. "I did the same thing when I gave it up to Kat."

"But since you still talk to people I'm going to assume they'll talk to us again, right?" Cassie asked.

"Oh totally," Kim said. "You may have to wait a little while is all."

"Okay," Cassie said. "I've got to go meet Ashley for lunch, but it was great seeing you again."

"Great seeing you too," Kimberly said.

"See you around I guess," Cassie said. She ran off but waved before she disappeared around the corner.

Kimberly smiled to herself and continued to walk around town, thinking about the new team of Rangers. She'd known them to a degree back in school. They were only a year younger than her, but they hadn't really come in contact with each other that often. The group seemed like they could really handle the duty of being a Ranger. And it was pretty amusing that the youngest Ranger had been in the suit for the longest now.

She turned as she heard her name called for what honestly had to be the thousandth time that day. Her face lit up as she realized it was Tommy. "Hey Beautiful," Tommy said reverently as he reached her, his arms going around her waist.

"Hey Handsome," Kimberly said, leaning up to press a quick kiss against his lips.

"What are you doing here?" Tommy asked her, though he was clearly delighted at her arrival.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said. "And I wanted to talk to you, but I'd rather do it in person than over the phone."

Tommy raised an eyebrow at that, but Kim smiled warmly. "Do you want to go to the park?" he asked.

"Sure," Kim said.

They ended up walking to the place where they'd first kissed. "Tommy, I've been thinking," she said.

"Dangerous territory," Tommy teased.

"Oh be quiet," Kimberly said, swatting him on the arm. "I've been thinking about what to do with the rest of my life."

"That's a lot to think about," Tommy said, sitting down against the slight edge of the flat rock. Kimberly sat next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Wanna explain?"

"I'm good at gymnastics. But I'm not going to be able to do this forever. So I've been thinking of going to college. Maybe a business degree and teaching or something. I know that teaching gymnastics is really stereotypical for medaled gymnasts, but it's what I think I want to do."

"That's great, Kim," Tommy said, squeezing her shoulders. "I really think it's a great idea."

"I just have to find a school now," Kim sighed. "I mean, once I finished high school I took some CLEP exams and passed, so I have some courses done already. I just have to work on the other classes now."

"What exams did you take?" Tommy asked.

"American Literature, English Literature, Freshman College Composition, French, a History, Biology and Algebra," Kim said.

Tommy turned his head to stare at his girlfriend in shock. "You took _seven_ CLEP exams?" he asked.

"Yeah. I mean, it wasn't like I didn't have the time to do it," Kim said.

"And you passed them all? That's great, Beautiful," Tommy said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "So. College."

"Yeah," Kim said.

"You know, I've been thinking about college too," Tommy said.

"Really?" Kim asked, turning to look at him.

"Yeah. I mean, I need something to do with my life too," Tommy said.

"So, college," Kim said hesitantly. "What have you looked at?"

"Nowhere in particular," Tommy said. "You?"

"Nowhere in particular," Kimberly said.

"You wanna maybe look at the same place?" Tommy asked nonchalantly.

"Tommy, I was hoping you'd ask that," Kimberly grinned. "I don't think I could stand it if we were both at college, but different ones."

"Neither could I," Tommy said. "So. We're going to try and go to college together."

"We are," Kimberly said brightly.

**********

Tommy, Kimberly, Jason, Trini, Zack, Rocky, and Adam had all managed to get together for one of the few times in recent years. Their schedules had all allowed for them to meet up in Angel Grove right after Thanksgiving. Kimberly had spent it with her dad. Aisha was still in Africa, though she missed them all greatly, and Tanya was off somewhere in the world with her parents. They'd only gotten a hazy response to the question, but she said she was really sorry.

The day after had been filled with hanging out and swapping stories of everything that had been happening in their lives. But the day after that everyone had decided they needed to do something active, as activity had always been a part of their lives as friends.

Since the Juice Bar's exercise equipment had accumulated plenty of interest from the teens in the area, partially thanks to the Power Rangers athletic ability, there were a couple of new health clubs in Angel Grove tailored specifically to adults who wanted a variety of equipment to work on. So the former Rangers headed out to one of them to work out and practice.

Trini was doing Tai Chi in a corner of the mat by herself, going through the motions steadily and surely. Jason and Rocky were having a Red vs. Red sparring match while Zack was trying to teach his successor Hip Hop Judo. Tommy was sitting on one of the machines that utilized the lateral bar, though he wasn't actually using it, preferring to watch his girlfriend.

Kimberly was practicing a simple routine on the balance beam for the pure joy of gymnastics when she felt a tremor go through her. It knocked her sense of equilibrium off balance and she tipped to the side slightly, arms pinwheeling to try and gain her equilibrium back, but she ultimately fell off of the beam onto the mat below. Tommy called out her name in alarm, drawing the eyes of the others to her.

"Ow," she said even as Tommy came rushing over.

"You okay?" he asked, helping to pull her to her feet. "What happened?"

The other former Rangers were looking at her in curiosity too, though Trini had a peculiar expression on her face.

"I don't know," Kimberly said. "I was fine and then it was like my balance went all wacky."

Trini frowned and said, "I felt something weird too."

"Same here," Jason said. "But it went away really quickly."

"I didn't feel anything," Tommy said.

"I felt something," Adam said. "Did you guys?" he asked Rocky and Zack, who nodded. "Maybe you didn't feel anything, Tommy, because you were sitting. Sitting doesn't require as much balance as sparring or practicing."

"What do you think it was?" Kimberly asked.

"I don't know," Trini said.

"I feel fine now," Jason said.

"Maybe it had something to do with the guys," Rocky suggested. "After all, we did know when Zordon was taken captive. Maybe they found him."

"I hope so," Tommy said.

"It's freaking me out that he's out there and nobody seems to be able to find him," Kim said. "So somebody better have found him."

A faint beeping could be heard from Tommy's bag and all heads craned in that direction as they recognized exactly what tune it was beeping.

"You brought it?" Jason asked in surprise. Adam and Rocky's bags also began beeping and Jason turned his gaze to them.

"Hey, you never know when Divatox is gonna want to try and attack," Rocky said after a quick glance around. Kimberly rolled her eyes as the group went over to their bags and hurriedly left the gym.

"Tommy here," Tommy said into his communicator as soon as they were far enough away from people.

"Tommy!" Justin's voice came across the communicator slightly distorted. "Tommy! You've gotta help me!"

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked in alarm.

"Divatox destroyed the Command Center!" Justin said.

The former Rangers looked at one another with similar expressions of horror.


	7. Rekindled Romance

Author's Note: I just want to say that even though I don't reply to your reviews, I really do appreciate them as well as everyone who has put the story on alert. I really do appreciate all of you guys who are reading this and continue to read this. I'm not too sure about this chapter, but it should be pretty amusing a little later on.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Six: Rekindled Romance  
(Tommy and Kimberly Do A **_**Lot**_** Of Making Out Now Due To The  
Fact That They're At College Together)**

_Date: September 21, 1998_

Kimberly and Tommy hadn't applied to many colleges, but they did get into all of them. In the end, they decided on University of California. Tommy opted for living on campus, but Kimberly decided to get an apartment. Her apartment was incredibly small due to the fact that it was relatively inexpensive, but it was off campus and she didn't have a roommate.

The two had an extraordinarily large amount of fun at college, frequently going out on dates or even just studying together in Kimberly's cramped apartment. She and Tommy realized they were actually doing quite well with college life. This surprised Tommy as he had never done all that well in school before he had become a Ranger. And after, well, saving the universe from evil took up quite a bit of studying time.

Kimberly told him that he had always been smart and that he just needed to focus himself. And besides, she smacked him in the head when he daydreamed while studying. What surprised Kimberly the most was that Tommy decided what field he wanted to specialize in.

Paleontology.

"Well, Zordon had some really nice fossils. And the Zords were dinosaurs," Tommy explained.

"I know. I was just surprised. I think it's great that you want to do this," Kimberly said.

**********

Kimberly was studying in the library when Tommy came running in, looking about wildly for her. He couldn't see her while she could see him, so she grinned a bit at her boyfriend's crazy antics. Though she did wonder what he was doing. She decided to take pity on the boy, packing up her books and walking towards him. He started to hiss something at her, but she dragged him outside instead.

"So. What's up?" she asked after they were suitably far enough away from the library.

"Problems. Major problems," Tommy said.

"Like what?" Kimberly asked, knowing that Tommy was probably exaggerating as he usually did when it came to non-Power Ranger issues.

"There is a girl in one of my classes who's like Billy. But a girl," Tommy said. "So she's like Trini. But not. Because she's as smart as Billy. Or smarter. I don't know."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow at her obviously insane boyfriend. "And that's a problem because?"

"Because she's going to figure it out!" Tommy said, astounded that Kimberly didn't realize the dire situation they were in.

"Tommy, she won't figure out anything," Kimberly said.

"Yes she will!" Tommy insisted.

"When was the last time you got a decent night's sleep?" Kimberly asked patiently.

"Last night."

Okay, it wasn't sleep deprivation that was making him act so crazy.

"When was the last time you had coffee?"

"Last week."

Not that either apparently.

"Red Pop?"

"That's Jason's thing," Tommy said, wrinkling his nose at it. "Strawberry Cream Soda is just wrong."

Not the Red Pop. Oh, now she knew what it was.

"Thomas Oliver, have you been drinking Jolt again?" Kimberly demanded, planting her fists on her hips.

"…No…" Tommy said.

"Tommy!" Kim said, advancing on her now backing away boyfriend.

"I didn't! I swear! I didn't drink any Jolt!" Tommy protested, holding his hands up in his defense.

"What did you do to this girl?" Kimberly demanded. Tommy always acted seven different kinds of crazy when he drank that stuff.

"Nothing. I may have glared. Okay, so it was the Green Ranger glare, but it was just glaring. And there may have been a bit of growling and snarling," Tommy said.

Oh God. She had damage control to do.

"What is her name?" Kimberly growled. She hated apologizing for Tommy.

"Hayley Ziktor," Tommy said.

"You mean that girl who's in my business management class?" Kimberly asked, her eyes narrowing. "The one that is totally nice and really sweet and in no way is ever going to find out anything at all, right?"

"Oh crap," Tommy said before turning and fleeing.

"Idiot boyfriend," Kimberly muttered. She would have to apologize to Hayley later after their class. Which, as Kimberly glanced at her watch, was in 20 minutes.

**********

"Uh, hey. Hayley," Kim called as the professor dismissed the class.

"Yeah?" Hayley asked.

"Hi, I'm really sorry about earlier with Tommy," Kim said. "He's not really allowed to drink Jolt and apparently he did. I'm really, really sorry about that."

"It's no problem," Hayley said. "Though why are you apologizing for him?"

"He's my boyfriend," Kim sighed. "He gets a little crazy when he drinks Jolt. I'm going to have to cut him off for real now."

"You're dating him?" Hayley asked. "I am so sorry for you." Then she blushed and stammered, "I'm sorry, was that rude?"

"It's true though," Kim said. "He's absolutely insane." The two women walked out of the classroom and headed out of the building. "What exactly did he do? He said he used his incredibly evil glare on you and possibly snarled."

"Mostly it was the glaring," Hayley said. "That's really creepy."

"Yeah," Kimberly said, knowing exactly how creepy the Green Ranger glare was. "Hey, you wanna grab lunch or something?"

"That'd be great," Hayley said.

The two women made their way to the cafeteria and grabbed their lunches of choice before heading out to the grass to eat.

"So, where are you from originally?" Hayley asked.

"I grew up in Angel Grove," Kimberly said. "Then I went to Florida to train for the Pan Globals."

"I thought your name sounded familiar," Hayley said. "You won medals in some events, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Kim said, hoping Hayley wasn't going to turn into one of those crazy stalkers that had occasionally seemed to pop up at school.

"Congratulations on that," Hayley said.

"Thanks," Kim said, internally grateful that Hayley wasn't going to turn into a stalker. She'd already met a few of those.

"Hey Kimmie," a guy said from behind her.

Speak of one of the devils themselves.

"Hello Jared," Kim sighed.

"Who's this?" Jared asked, sitting down on the ground next to Kim.

"Hayley Ziktor," Hayley said, though she eyed Jared warily. "And you are?"

"Jared Robinson. I'm one of Kimmie's friends."

'No he's not,' Kimberly mouthed at Hayley fervently.

"Oh," Hayley said with a knowing smile. "So, how do you know Kimberly?"

"We met the first day," Jared said, sliding an arm around Kim's shoulder and pulling her towards him in a tight hug. "We just clicked. It's really great."

Kimberly nearly growled at him and shoved him over. She really just wanted to shout, "I was a POWER RANGER! I can hurt you badly!" at him. But no, that went against Zordon's rules and she'd probably get in trouble with the others too. And she'd also have fame issues, and it wasn't like she didn't already have enough of those to deal with. Okay. She was a little crazy about this.

"Oh," Hayley said, her eyes lighting up. "Really? That's great. You'll have to excuse me for just a second. I see someone I need to talk to. I'll be right back."

Kimberly looked at her with desperate eyes. "Can't you do that later?" she asked.

"It'll only take a minute. It's a guy from my English class," Hayley said.

English? Wait, Tommy was in Hayley's English class.

Oh!

"Okay," Kimberly said with a smile. "Don't worry. It's fine."

This was going to be fun to watch. Very, very fun.

"So Jared, how have you been since I saw you last?" Kimberly said, trying to remove his arm from around her shoulders as he'd never moved it.

"Well, I saw you a couple days ago but you seemed to be in a hurry so I didn't bother you," Jared said.

Oh, Kimberly had seen him then. She'd just decided to run away instead of trying to avoid him.

"Sorry," Kimberly said in a completely unapologetic tone.

"It's okay. So, I was wondering if you'd want to head over to the movies after school," Jared said. "There's that new movie playing. I think you might like it."

"I don't think so," a cold voice said from behind. Kimberly nearly grinned in anticipation.

Jared turned around and jerked back at the ferocious glare Tommy was giving him. Kimberly swore there was some green in them.

"Who are you?" Jared asked.

"Tommy Oliver, her _boyfriend_," Tommy growled.

"She doesn't have a boyfriend," Jared said. "Not yet anyways." Jared threw a sly glance at Kim.

Tommy was now in full on Evil Jealous Green Ranger mode and Kimberly was beginning to get a little nervous about the whole ordeal. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have gotten Tommy involved. She scrambled to her feet and looked at Tommy beseechingly.

"And where do you get off calling yourself her boyfriend?" Jared asked as he too got to his feet.

"Because I am," Tommy said, jerking Kimberly into his side. Jared's eyes narrowed at that but despite the situation Kim had to roll her eyes.

"Tommy," Kimberly said. "Relax. Now. Or I'll hit you."

Tommy ignored her, though the tension in his body lessened somewhat. "I'm her boyfriend and you are going to stay away from her or I'll make sure that you don't. Do you get it?"

"I'm not going to stay away from her. You are," Jared said. "You're acting quite creepy for someone who claims to be her boyfriend."

"You are actually," Kimberly said, gripping Tommy's chin and making him look her in the eyes. "Tommy, you really need to relax, okay? You're turning into Green. And not the Green I fell in love with either."

There was another flash of Green in Tommy's eyes, though only Kim could see it.

"Are you serious?" Jared asked. "You're actually dating this jerk?"

"He's not a jerk," Kim said, darting a glare at Jared. "Just go away, okay? I've been trying to tell you for ages that I'm not interested."

Jared scowled at Tommy and Kimberly and stalked off.

"Tommy. I'm going to hit you if you don't turn into my White Knight in mystical and magical spandex-armor, got it?"

Tommy screwed his eyes shut and when he opened them the Evil Green Ranger was gone.

"Why didn't you tell me about him?" he asked.

"Because I can handle him on my own. And I did," Kimberly said.

"You need to talk to me about this stuff," Tommy said. "I love you."

"I know. And I love you too. But you really do have to relax sometimes," Kimberly said. "Now, apologize to Hayley."

Tommy sighed and dutifully turned to Hayley. "Thank you for alerting me that my girlfriend was being stalked. I'm sorry for going crazy this morning. I'm not allowed to drink Jolt. And I did. So I'm sorry."

Kimberly elbowed Tommy in the ribs. "That's not an apology. That's an excuse."

Tommy sighed again. "Hayley, I'm sorry I was a jerk. I had no right being one. I get a little paranoid at times." Kimberly glared at him again. "Which is not an excuse. I'm sorry about this morning and I hope you can forgive me."

"You're whipped, aren't you?" Hayley asked with a smirk.

"Totally," Kimberly said. "And I enjoy it."

"I forgive you," Hayley said. "Besides, I like Kimberly so I don't think you'd be able to deter me from trying to be friends with her. Well, maybe if you glared a lot. That is creepy. How'd you manage to learn how to do that?"

"Oh, I'd really rather not say," Tommy said.

"Fine," Hayley said. "Can we finish lunch?"

**********

"Are you sure we can trust Hayley?" Tommy asked later.

"Tommy, we have plenty of friends that don't have anything to do with our secret. And yeah, I think it's safe," Kimberly said.

"But she's smarter than most people we know," Tommy said. "She could figure it out."

"She won't, Tommy, she won't."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change! "Countdown to Destruction"

_Kimberly and Tommy were in a very heavy make out session (though they were supposed to be studying) when the screaming began. The two jerked apart, running to the window of Tommy's dorm. _

"_What the heck are those?" Kimberly asked as the two saw quite a number of alien creatures running around the quad._

"_I have no idea," Tommy said. "Let's go."_

"_Morph?" Kimberly suggested._

"_Got it," Tommy said, rushing around the room. _

"_You lost your Zeo Morpher, didn't you?" Kimberly asked after a minute._

"_No," Tommy said. "It's not lost. Just … misplaced," Tommy said._


	8. Coutdown To Destruction

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Seven: Countdown To Destruction  
(You'd Think The People of Angel Grove Would Have Moved By Now)**

_Date: March 2, 1999; March 3, 1999_

"I am so going to kick your butt," Megan growled.

"Oh you are not," Justin said. "I was a Turbo Ranger! You can't beat me at Super Mario Kart!"

"Oh yes I can!" Megan said. "Turbo Zords are not the same thing as Go Karts with little Mario characters on them!"

"Shut up!" Justin said, practically rolling to the side as he directed his car around the final curve.

"Aha! First place! Booya!" Megan yelled as her car crossed the finish line barely ahead of Justin's.

"You suck!" Justin said in irritation.

"I'm the best, I'm the best!" Megan laughed, doing a version of a touchdown dance. "So, want a rematch?"

"You're on," Justin growled.

"Tournament?" Megan asked.

"You're on," Justin growled, setting it up.

Halfway through their third race Megan asked, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what? The sound of my defeat; no. The sound of your defeat; yes," Justin said with a wicked grin.

"Ha, funny. And no, I mean the one from outside," Megan said.

"Fine. We'll investigate," Justin said, pausing the N64 game.

The two got up and went to the window where they stared out in dismay.

"Holy crap," Megan said.

"Your mother's going to kill us," Justin groaned as the Pirrhanatrons and Quantrons ran amuck on the streets outside his house.

"Probably," Megan said with a shrug. "And I wanted to finish that race. I was so kicking your butt. Anyways, you morphing?"

"Yeah," Justin said. "Glad Dad's not home for this."

"Be glad. Be very glad," Megan said. She did a complicated little twirl while calling, "Ninja form!" and a black leather gi appeared on her form with an additional headdress / mask thing.

"Great disguise," Justin snorted. "Nobody's ever going to wonder what a ninja's doing here."

"Hey!" Megan protested as Justin morphed. "The Wind and Thunder Academies are only like an hour away from here. And the Earth Academies over in Reefside."

"And that helps why?" Justin asked.

"Because there are going to be ninjas all over the area!" Megan said.

"Whatever. Just don't get killed," Justin sighed. "I don't want to think of how I'd explain to your mother and all of the girl Rangers."

"I can only imagine how amusing that would be," Megan said. "But no, I don't plan on getting killed."

**********

Kimberly and Tommy were in a very heavy make out session (though they were supposed to be studying) when the screaming began. The two jerked apart, running to the window of Tommy's dorm.

"What the heck are those?" Kimberly asked as the two saw quite a number of alien creatures running around the quad.

"I have no idea," Tommy said. "Let's go."

"Morph?" Kimberly suggested.

"Got it," Tommy said, rushing around the room.

"You lost your Zeo Morpher, didn't you?" Kimberly asked after a minute.

"No," Tommy said. "It's not lost. Just … misplaced," Tommy said.

"Ninjetti then," Kimberly said. "Tommy _come on_!" Kimberly grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room.

The quad was a mess. There were two types of aliens that were attacking everyone in sight. "What _are_ these things?" Tommy asked, but was quickly distracted as they launched themselves at him and Kim.

As usual when fighting when Kim was around, a small portion of his attention was directed at Kim to make sure she was all right. He hadn't seen her in action in a while and she seemed to actually be having a lot of fun doing what she was doing.

But these things were hard to destroy. "You know," Kim said just as he thought that. "I really miss the Putties."

"You're not kidding," Tommy said. "Why did everyone have to update their monsters? Putties were easy to deal with."

"Because it's easier on us if they don't," Kim said. "Oh no! Hayley!"

"Hayley?" Tommy asked in alarm, his head jerking up. A Quantron took this as an opportunity to attack, but apparently didn't know that Tommy Oliver was the best Power Ranger to have ever existed. Without even looking at it, Tommy snapped a kick at it and sent it flying.

Hayley was caught by a couple of monsters who were seemingly attempting to rip her apart. Kim was off and running towards her and Tommy soon followed. Kim tackled one of the monsters and Tommy tackled the other. As soon as they burst into non being, Kimberly turned to Hayley. "Are you okay, Hayley?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Hayley said distractedly. Then she blinked and stared at Kimberly. "Kim? Wait, is that you?"

"No," Kimberly said, wincing mentally at her slip up. Yeah, she'd been out of uniform for too long. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tommy?" Hayley asked, whirling on the white clad ninja.

"I don't know who that is," Tommy said a little too quickly.

"You're Kim! And you're Tommy!" Hayley said, her gaze darting between the two. "And you're – you're Power Rangers?!"

"I don't know who you're talking about. And we've got to go save people. Bye!" Tommy said, but Hayley grabbed his arm before he could leave. With the other hand, before Tommy could react, she had ripped his mask down.

"I told you!" Hayley said, ripping Kim's mask off. "You're Power Rangers! Ninja Power Rangers!"

"Uh…" Tommy said.

"Crap," Kimberly frowned. "Okay. We're talking about this later. Now we have to save the world. Again."

More Quantrons and Piranhatrons appeared and Hayley yelped in

**********

Trini was on the quad when it happened. One minute everything was normal and then the next, there were aliens all over the place. It happened so fast that Trini was unprepared for what happened. One of the aliens ran into her, practically head butting her in the stomach.

She growled as she flipped up off of the ground and began attacking, noting that most students were running around screaming while a few actually began to attack as well, mostly smacking the aliens with backpacks. But hey, at least they were fighting.

**********

Aisha heard screams first. Her training and instincts from her Power Ranger days had her running out to the village and scanning the area for danger. What she saw she had never thought she would actually see again.

Aliens. There were aliens in her village. Oh yeah, something was wrong. She'd felt a growing sense of anxiousness for quite a while now, though she hadn't known why or what was going to happen. Clearly, this was the cause for the feeling.

She took a flying leap at one of the aliens that was attacking a young girl, knocking it away.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes Miss Aisha," the girl said, clearly frightened. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea."

**********

"I hate evil," Megan sighed.

"You're not kidding," Justin groaned. "I ache all over."

"You're the one who was wearing protective spandex from outer space, I wasn't," Megan said.

"Good point," Justin said.

"Where do you think the Astro Rangers are?" Megan asked.

"I don't know," Justin said.

"Shouldn't we group up with them?" Megan asked. "You're a Ranger and I'm a ninja in training. If the stronger people are together than we can kick more ass."

"You want to try and find them, go ahead," Justin said.

"How about we go raid a grocery store instead?" Megan asked. "I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I'm not going to be a superhero who robs," Justin said.

"You're a loser," Megan said. "I'm still hungry."

"Get over it," Justin said. "We've got bigger things to deal with."

"That we do," Megan mused. "That we do."

**********

"You have got to be kidding me," Hayley said. "You guys are magic superheroes?"

"Ex-superheroes," Kim and Tommy said as one.

The three were hiding out in Kim's apartment while the aliens prowled the city's streets. There were just too many for Tommy and Kim to fight off. There was no way to know if this was just located here or around the world.

"Can you contact any of the others to see what's going on?" Hayley asked.

Tommy and Kim exchanged a glance with one another. "Your communicator's in your dorm somewhere isn't it?" she asked.

"Maybe," Tommy said warily.

"You're ridiculous," Kim sighed. She got up and went to her dresser. She pulled it away from the wall and reached behind it, searching the concave portion where she hid both her communicator and now useless morpher. She went over to the other two and sat down again. "Guys, is anybody out there? It's Kim and Tommy. We've got a bit of situation."

There was a pause and then, "Kim? Tommy? Man is it good to hear from you guys!"

"Hey Zack. Where are you?" Tommy asked.

"In London," was Zack's reply.

"He managed to find me," Kat said.

"Guys?" Jason asked. "Where are you?"

"Let's wait until we've got everyone we can," Kim said.

"I'm listening," Trini said.

"Same," Adam said. "And Rocky's here with me."

"Do we have the Astros? Or Justin?" Tommy asked.

"You do recall that the Astros don't have our communicators, right?" Kim said. "I don't know about Justin. His works with the Zeos, but Tommy doesn't have his Zeo."

"I'm using my Zeo," Kat said. "So maybe he could contact me? Would you be able to hear it?"

"Via Zack's maybe," Trini said. "Making these work for all the teams is so my next project. What about Aisha or Tanya?"

"Sorry!" Aisha hissed. "I'm a little busy being captured."

There was a beep and her line went dead.

"Okay, I guess we can assume this is going on everywhere," Adam said. "But what about Tanya?"

"I'm here," Tanya whispered. "I've been kidnapped too. Did you know you can change the volume on these?"

"Really?" Trini asked in surprise. "Billy never told me that."

"Guys," Kim said. "Let's work on finding out what's going on right now, okay?"

"Right," Jason said. "Where is everybody?"

"Zack and I are in London," Kat said.

"Kim and me are hiding out in her apartment from the freakish aliens," Tommy said.

"Why couldn't they just stick with Putties?" Zack whined.

"Not helping Zack," Kim said.

"Me'n Adam are in Stone Canyon," Rocky said. "And these guys seemed to be based in Angel Grove. Big huge spaceship touched down there and some chick named Astronema's asking for the Astro Rangers to out themselves. It's not looking good. The entire town's pretty much been taken hostage."

"Megan was supposed to be visiting Justin today," Kim said worriedly. "I hope they're alright."

"Justin's still got his Turbo powers. He'll be fine," Tommy said. "And you know Megan."

Hayley was staring at the communicator in shock and awe. "That thing connects you to all of the Power Rangers?" she asked.

"Who was that?" Jason asked.

"Uh, later," Kim said. "So this whole fiasco's worldwide and basically the only way to get them to stop is to out the Astro Rangers."

"The only way that'll happen is if Astronema threatens to hurt people. That's the only way they'd reveal their identities," Tanya whispered.

"Which means they're going to do it," Jason said firmly. "Adam, Rocky, you guys are nearby. Can you go help them out?"

"We can try," Adam said.

"We're heading out now," Rocky said. "Hey Tanya, how do you change the volume?"

"There's a button on the back. Slide it down to lower the volume. Pushing it up and holding it raises the volume back to the original level. Holding it down mutes it," Tanya said.

"And which way is down and which way is up?" Rocky murmured.

"We'll update you on what's going on when we get to Angel Grove," Adam said. "We'll find the Astros and figure out what to do."

"In the morning everybody goes back to attacking, got it?" Jason asked.

"I'm kidnapped," Tanya said. "I'm not going to be able to do a lot of fighting."

"Get the others with you to fight," Tommy said.

"I'll try," Tanya whispered.

"Let's do this," Jason said. "Let's take back our planet."

"I wonder what's happening on other planets," Kim mused.

"What do you mean?" Kat asked.

"This can't just be an Earth thing," Kim said. "Cassie's been talking to me a little lately just to update me and Tommy on what's going on. Astronema's working for Dark Specter who's got Zordon. Clearly Dark Specter wants to get rid of all the Power Rangers. We're not the only Power Rangers in the universe."

"Trey," Jason said. "They'd go after Trey."

"And the Aquatians," Trini said. "Billy."

"We've got to find out everything we can about the others out there as soon as this is over," Tommy said.

**********

"Oh God this is a mess," Megan said, ducking and rolling.

"You're not kidding," Justin said. "Wonder how the others are doing."

"I don't know," Megan said. "And this is far from a fair fight. You've got guns."

"You're a ninja! You've got fire powers!" Justin said.

"Okay, good point," Megan said as she punched a Quantron and kicked another in the next beat. "Though it doesn't really work well on robots. They just melt."

"Better than nothing," Justin said.

"Alien robot thing at your back," Megan called out.

"Same," Justin called out to her.

Megan whirled and made to kick the Quantron, but froze mid kick as a wave of good and love went through her. "No!" she cried out in anguish, dimly aware that Justin had also cried out.

_Fear not, Rangers. I will be in all that is good now. I love you all as if you were my own children. Do not be sad at this. I will always be with you. May the power protect you. _

And with that, Zordon was gone.

**********

The battle was over, but at such a consequence. As Zordon had passed, all former Rangers collapsed where they were standing, ignoring the fact that the monsters that surrounded them were vanishing.

That was the worst day in Ranger history. Their mentor, their leader, their father, had died. He had died to save the universe from evil. And even though he had managed to say a special message to everyone he had touched, and all of them shed at least one tear that day.

* * *

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change: _"The Astro Megaship Museum"

_The line to get into the Astro Megaship took quite some time due to the sheer numbers of people there for the Opening Ceremony. But when they did get in to the Astro Megaship, they had to grin at all of the displays. _

"_Ha! Look! They've got pictures!" Megan giggled. _

"_Pictures?" Kimberly asked. "Of what?"_

"_Of who should be the question," Jason said, looking at the pictures. _

"_Ooh! Look, Green Ranger," Kimberly said, peering at the picture of Tommy._

"_Green and Pink, White and Pink, Red and Pink – ew," Megan said. _

"_Apparently they didn't realize Kat's a foot taller than Kim," Jason said._

"_Hey!" Kimberly said, smacking Jason on the shoulder. "That's mean."_

"_But true," Jason said. _


	9. The Astro Megaship Museum

Author's Note: Hi guys, just a few quick things. If you use Livejournal or are interested in this, I have a LJ community for this fic. It's all of the chapters as well as some other information. If I ever manage to actually make graphics that work, they'll go up there. I'm also working on a playlist as well as a photo album of the Rangers stints in spandex that will be posted there. Check out my profile for the link to the community. And lastly, do you like the teasers at the end of the chapter? Oh, and do you even pay attention to the dates at the top of the chapter? Or are those actually just for my sanity instead of yours?

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Eight: The Astro Megaship Museum  
(The United States Government Is Weird)**

_Date: May 3, 1999; May 12, 1999_

"You can't be serious," Kimberly said over the phone. "The government wants to turn the Astro Megaship into a _museum_? That just doesn't make sense."

"Apparently it's because of our 'great and honorable deeds' that we did to the world or something," Cassie said.

"But a _museum_? Don't you guys need it or something? To get to KO-35?" Kimberly asked.

"No. Well, I mean yes, but Andros and Zhane each have their own ship now. The government of KO-35 gave them to them. They're really getting up and going now," Cassie said.

"That's good," Kimberly agreed. "So they've each got a ship now? And you don't need the Astro Megaship?"

"Nope. So apparently the US government wants to turn the ship into a museum. It took a pretty heavy beating that last time around, so it's not like it's in the greatest condition. Alpha wants to stay away from the action for a while and he's going to be the tour guide or something."

"Sounds good. He's seen a whole lot of action over the years," Kimberly said.

"Yeah. There's going to be a big opening ceremony thing and Ashley's adamant that all of the Rangers be there. And I was wondering if you could help me out there. I don't have Jason, Trini, Aisha, or Zack's numbers."

"Yeah, I'll call them," Kimberly said. "When's the get together?"

"It officially opens May 12th, but we're planning on getting together the night before to celebrate," Cassie explained.

"Works for me," Kimberly grinned. "Hey, I've got a niece who sort of knows about us being Power Rangers. Could she come? She really wants to meet you guys."

"I think we may have vaguely met her during the big battle," Cassie said thoughtfully. "Is she a ninja?"

"Yeah," Kimberly said slowly.

"Then yeah, we have met her briefly. She was fighting during the battle. She and Justin did a lot to help us actually."

"She was in Angel Grove?" Kimberly asked. "I didn't know that. I didn't know Justin was either."

"Yeah they were," Cassie said.

"And she fought?" Kimberly asked. "Because I really wasn't aware of that. Her parents thought she was safe inside somebody's house."

"That would not be the case apparently," Cassie said.

"Oh she is in so much trouble when I get a hold of her," Kimberly groaned.

"Don't tell her I told you," Cassie said and Kimberly could imagine the wince that graced that Pink Astro Ranger's face.

"I won't, don't worry. I'll tell her that Justin told me," Kimberly grinned evilly. "She won't dare to annoy him. And even if she does, then he'll just be confused. It'll be fun to watch."

"For a Pink, you can be surprisingly devious sometimes," Cassie said.

"We can _all_ be surprisingly devious for Pinks, Cass," Kimberly grinned.

**********

Kimberly could tell Megan knew the gig was up as soon as she saw the extremely pissed off look that she was being given.

"Uh … Hi Aunt Kim," Megan said cautiously.

"You were fighting in Angel Grove," Kim said.

"Uh … Yeah?" Megan winced.

"You are so lucky I'm not telling your parents," Kim sighed, sitting down next to her niece.

"You're not?" Megan asked in shock.

"Nope," Kimberly said. "You are in trouble with me though."

"Is that why you're here?" Megan asked.

"Not only. The Astro Megaship is turning into a museum. Cassie said that you can come. Everyone's invited."

"I get to meet the Astro Rangers for more than three seconds?" Megan asked excitedly as she nearly bounced up and down on the couch. "That is so sweet!"

"Don't tell your mother you've already met them," Kimberly said.

"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? I haven't told them anything at all. Cam doesn't even know I was doing that," Megan said. "And you know how that boy gets when it comes to over protective siblings and stuff."

**********

The Opening Ceremony for the Astro Megaship Museum was an affair to behold. The Astro Rangers were in attendance—in uniform, of course. The Mighty Morphing, Zeo, and Turbo Rangers were there in the audience hiding out to watch the fiasco that was undoubtedly going to occur.

Megan was having the time of her life seeing all of her "family" again. Especially Billy who had managed to come from Aquitar.

"I can't believe you're here," she said. "This is really fantastic. So, how've you been?"

"It was difficult adjusting to the climate originally, but I have sufficiently become used to the way things are there as well as the copious amounts of water," Billy said.

"Huh?" Rocky asked from next to them.

"He had issues at the start but is fine now," Megan said.

"You can translate Billy-speak?" Rocky asked.

"Yes I can," Megan said.

"We have another Billy translator!" Rocky said. "How come I never knew about this?"

"Because you didn't," Megan said. "And Billy doesn't always need a translator. So, how are things with Cestria?"

"Wonderful," Billy said with a bit of a dopey grin on his face.

"You are such a dope," Trini said with a grin as she came over to them. "How've you been, Megan?"

"Fine. The Academy's a lot of fun," Megan grinned. "Sensei Kanoi's son Cam's really great. He's four or five years older than I am. We're the only children of teachers, so I think he's trying to sibling adopt me. The students don't really want to talk to us because of the whole teacher-kid thing."

"Really?" Billy asked in concern.

"It's fine," Megan said. "I didn't say all of them won't talk to us. And besides, I'm in a class that ranges anywhere between five years old and twenty seven."

"How far behind are you?" Rocky asked.

"Well, I mean it's not like they don't get new people every year who're different ages. It's hard to gauge how far behind you are exactly, though Sensei Kanoi says I'm improving rapidly. Though when I'm compared to other kids my age from Japan, I've so got a ways to go. Dad's blaming himself for not starting me sooner. I don't really care. And anyways, I kicked some major butt here during the Countdown."

"What about me?" Justin asked.

"You did too," Megan said. "But we weren't talking about you."

"Do you want any help?" Rocky asked after a little bit. "You know you only have to ask any of us and we'll help you. After all, some of us do have Ninjetti powers."

"I know," Megan grinned. "Aunt Kim's already told me that. And did you know that Ninjetti are actually more powerful than regular ninjas?"

"Really?" Billy asked. "It's an interesting theory."

"What is?" Tommy asked.

"That Ninjetti have more power than ninjas," Billy explained.

"It's because the Ninjetti taps into their animal spirit and the ninjas don't. And ninjas aren't just confined to Earth. There's a Jinto Academy and a couple of others out there. Since there's only about five, they take on a lot more students than we do here," Megan said.

"So it's all because we have an animal spirit?" Tommy asked.

"And the Ninjetti spirit is tied into the Morphing Grid. Ninjas aren't. So you get an extra boost from the Morphing Grid and everything," Megan said.

"Seriously?" Rocky asked.

"Seriously," Megan grinned. "So you guys are more powerful than Mom and Dad. Maybe not Sensei Kanoi, but Mom and Dad yes."

"Interesting concept," Billy said.

"Ooh! It's about to start!" Megan chirped, bouncing up and down a bit as the Mayor of Angel Grove came out in front of the museum.

"People of Angel Grove and the world," he announced, "I welcome you to the Opening of the Astro Megaship Museum! We'd like to thank the Astro Power Rangers for graciously donating this wonderful ship to us."

Andros, Zhane, Cassie, Ashley, Carlos, and TJ came out, waving to the people. Some (such as Andros) looked a little more lost than others. The Mayor of Angel Grove shook hands with all of them, making sure to pose for a picture.

"Oh he is so getting reelected," Megan sighed.

"Yay publicity," Rocky said in annoyance.

The Mayor blathered on some more, talking about all sorts of Power Ranger duties and things that they'd done and other stuff. The Rangers in the audience sort of tuned him out after a while.

"Who makes huge scissors like that?" Rocky asked.

"The huge scissor factory?" Adam suggested.

"Funny," Rocky said.

"And now, to officially open the Astro Megaship Museum!" the Mayor said, cutting the ribbon with his insanely large golden scissors.

"What do we do now?" Megan asked.

"Go in I guess," Zack shrugged.

The line to get into the Astro Megaship took quite some time due to the sheer numbers of people there for the Opening Ceremony. But when they did get in to the Astro Megaship, they had to grin at all of the displays.

"Ha! Look! They've got pictures!" Megan giggled.

"Pictures?" Kimberly asked. "Of what?"

"Of who should be the question," Jason said, looking at the pictures.

"Ooh! Look, Green Ranger," Kimberly said, peering at the picture of Tommy.

"Green and Pink, White and Pink, Red and Pink – ew," Megan said.

"Apparently they didn't realize Kat's a foot taller than Kim," Jason said.

"Hey!" Kimberly said, smacking Jason on the shoulder. "That's mean."

"But true," Jason said.

Throughout the museum there were newspaper articles, candid photos, homemade videos, news reports, and quite a number of fan letters. Alpha was in the Bridge standing and looking fairly awkward as people gaped at him.

All of the Rangers managed to give him a little wave but couldn't do any more than that with the people around. Hopefully they'd be able to sneak back in after hours to actually be able to talk to him.

"This is borderline amusing and borderline boring," Megan sighed.

"Yeah, it is," Kimberly agreed. "So, who wants to sneak to the kitchen and make some food?"

"Think we'll get in trouble?" Justin asked.

"Justin, I don't think anyone here cares," Tommy said.

"And it's not on the tour," Rocky said.

"How are we going to sneak away though?" Jason asked.

"Jason," Trini said with a sigh. "Didn't we have to sneak away all of the time when we were on active duty?"

"Well yeah, but there generally weren't a lot of people around, and we weren't trying to get into a barred section of a museum," Jason said.

"Like that's ever stopped us before," Rocky said.

Everyone looked at him in surprise. "When have you snuck into a roped off section of a museum?" Adam asked.

"Uh, never," Rocky said. "It was metaphorical."

"Somehow I doubt that," Kimberly sighed.

***

Next time on "One Little Change"

"_You know how the Astro Megaship took off a few weeks ago?"_

"_Yeah, what about it? I know Alpha was on it," Tommy said. _

"_Well, it came back. Apparently it was at Terra Venture."_

"_That's the space station Andros was working on with NASADA, right?"_

"_Mmhm. The one that nobody seemed to know anything about."_


	10. Terra Venture

Author's Note: Thanks for everyone's answers to my questions. The dates are just there so you understand how big of a jump it's been since the last chapter. This is going to make more sense later once the seasons are over and its more Tommy and Kim time.

Oh, and I'm vaguely screwing up canon later on. Just a little. So things are explained better. And because I can.

If you're interested, I've posted the link to the Livejournal community I created for this on my profile. The LJ com will have slightly more information than this just because of the ability to tag things over on LJ. I'll also be posting everything pertaining to OLC there too instead of in different stories like this.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Nine: Terra Venture  
(The United States Of America Had A Space Colony And  
Nobody Seemed To Know About It? How Does That Even Work?) **

_Date: October 7, 1999_

Kimberly dialed Tommy's number and waited patiently for her boyfriend to answer. "Hello?" came the tired answer.

"Hi Tommy," Kimberly said.

"Hey Beautiful. You ready?" Tommy asked.

"Just about. When Trini came over she gave me some news though," Kimberly said.

"About what? She and Jason aren't getting married, are they?"

"No word on that front yet," Kimberly grinned. "You know how the Astro Megaship took off a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, what about it? I know Alpha was on it," Tommy said.

"Well, it came back. Apparently it was at Terra Venture."

"That's the space station Andros was working on with NASADA, right?"

"Mmhm. The one that nobody seemed to know anything about. Anyways, I think the Earth is safe from alien attack for a while though."

"Why? And what does that have to do with Terra Venture?"

"We've got the Galactic Rangers out there. And Alpha sent Trini a message when they came back."

"They came back?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah. They had a kid who stowed away. He decided he wanted to come home and the Rangers brought him back on the Astro Megaship."

"So we've got new Power Rangers out there?"

"Yup. Leo Corbett's the Red Ranger, Kendrix Morgan's the Pink Ranger, Kai Chen's the Blue Ranger, Damon Henderson's the Green Ranger, and there's a girl from Mironoi named Maya who's the Yellow Ranger."

"Mironoi? Where's that?" Tommy asked.

"I have no idea," Kimberly sighed. "But apparently it got seriously trashed by the evil guy that they're dealing with. He turned it all to stone."

"He managed to turn an entire planet to stone?"

"Yeah. Amazing, huh?"

"Boggles the mind."

"So, are you almost done packing?" Kimberly asked.

"Just about. It's not like I have a lot of stuff in my dorm," Tommy said.

"Good," Kimberly said. "Andros and Zhane are coming down in about ten minutes to your place and Jason and Trini are here to help though they currently aren't doing anything useful at all," Kimberly said, directing it towards her friends who were currently sitting on her couch avoiding doing any work at all. Granted, there wasn't a whole lot of work to be done at her place, but still.

Tommy laughed at that. "Good," he said. "You nervous?"

"A little," Kimberly said, walking away from her two lazy best friends. "I mean, we've been staying at each other's places for a while, but this is more permanent."

"Permanence can be a good thing," Tommy said.

"I know. And besides, Jason and Trini have already moved in together."

"And Andros and Ashley in a way," Tommy said.

"They have separate rooms on the ship," Kimberly said. "It's not the same."

"I know," Tommy said. "See you soon Beautiful."

"See you soon Handsome," Kimberly said.

**********

Moving Tommy Oliver into her apartment was a lot harder than Kimberly had anticipated. They were, after all, living in the same city now that they attended college together so Kimberly thought it would be easy. After all, she had three muscular guys to help and a muscular boyfriend, but somehow his stuff had magically multiplied. Maybe it was an evil scheme of the current baddy.

But seriously, Tommy didn't have a lot of stuff the day before when she was over at his dorm. It was a dorm for crying out loud! There was very limited space there for Tommy to store stuff. But apparently Tommy managed to have a lot more than she'd thought.

But at the end of the day all of Tommy's things were in the apartment and unpacked (mostly).

"So."

"So."

The two stood over the bed that had now become theirs.

"This is awkward," Kim said.

"Kind of," Tommy said. "So. Bed?"

"Bed."

The two stood still for a minute before simultaneously bursting out into laughter.

***

Next time on "One Little Change" _A Fallen Comrade_

_13 year old Vida Rocca woke up with a gasp. Something was very wrong. She just didn't know what it was. She could feel some sort of faint sense in the back of her mind that sent goose bumps shivering all over her body._

"_Vida?" came a hesitant voice from the doorway after a moment._

"_Yeah Madison?"_

"_Did you feel that?"_

"_Yeah."_


	11. A Fallen Comrade

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Ten: A Fallen Comrade  
(Sacrifices And Losses)**

_Date: December 12, 1999_

Shock.

Horror.

Loss.

Despair.

Anguish.

Fear.

Desperation.

Grief.

**********

13 year old Vida Rocca woke up with a gasp. Something was very wrong. She just didn't know what it was. She could feel some sort of faint sense in the back of her mind that sent goose bumps shivering all over her body.

"Vida?" came a hesitant voice from the doorway after a moment.

"Yeah Madison?"

"Did you feel that?"

"Yeah."

**********

Trini woke as she was halfway to the floor already. The sensation of loss in both her mind and body prevented her from bracing herself and she hit the floor with a thud.

Jason sat up with a quick gasp, one of his hands coming to rest on his heart. Some Red Ranger out there was in a whole lot of emotional pain at the moment.

"Trini? Honey? You okay?" he called out in the darkness, sensing that she wasn't beside him in bed.

There wasn't an answer.

"Trini?"

"Oh God," came the whispered reply.

"Trini?" Jason asked in alarm, crawling over to her side of the bed. "What's wrong?" There was another pang in his chest that had nothing to do with what he was feeling himself.

Lots of grief. Lots and lots of grief.

"Oh no …" Jason whispered.

"She's dead."

**********

Kat woke up, tears streaming down her face, loss and pain filling her.

"Oh no. Oh God. She can't be …"

She scrambled out of her bed and picked up the phone, dialing the number she had memorized. "Tanya? Did you feel that?"

"Oh God yes," Tanya moaned. "It's horrible."

**********

"Zhane?" came a hesitant voice from outside his door not even five minutes after he had felt something so intense that he had shot up and hit his head on the bunk above his head—which was actually completely useless as nobody shared his room.

"Karone?" he asked in curiosity. What was she doing up now? She couldn't have felt it too, could she?

The door opened and she walked in. "Did you feel that?"

Apparently she _had_ felt the same thing that he had. "Yeah," Zhane said, sitting up. "But how did you?"

"I don't know," Karone said, giving a little sniffle. "It wasn't Cassie, was it? All I could tell was pink."

"No, it wasn't Cassie," Zhane said, though he himself wasn't sure of that. "Come here." He pulled her onto the bed and nestled her against his chest. "It'll be as okay as it can be, Karone."

"But she _died_," Karone sniffed, a tear trickling down her cheek.

Zhane wiped it away and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Their relationship was still very tentatively awkward due to their issues in the past (namely the fact that they were on opposite sides of the fight), but it was apparent to everyone that they cared deeply for each other. Andros had even grudgingly given Zhane permission to date Karone.

"Karone," Zhane said seriously. "I promise you. I will make this as okay for you as possible. We just have to wait for the others to get back to find out what happened."

Karone sniffled again, and closed her eyes as more tears tricked out.

Zhane held her in his arms as she cried, not even letting her go when she finally fell into a fitful, restless sleep.

**********

"Whoa," Dustin Brooks said. "What was _that_ about?"

He'd been dreaming about winning the X Games when a feeling of loss ripped through him and everything turned pink.

Now he just had to figure out what the hell it meant.

**********

Megan woke up with a small scream. "Oh no!" She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. "No! That's not possible!"

"Megan? Sweetie?" her mother asked from outside the door. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Mom," Megan sobbed, running to the door. "Mom, something horrible has happened."

"What is it?" Laura asked as the door was flung opened. "What happened?" Panic was beginning to set in.

"The Pink Ranger _died_," Megan said. "She _died_. And every Ranger felt it."

"How do you know? You weren't a Power Ranger."

"Mom. Zordon told me something in his energy blast. He said I have a connection to the Morphing Grid. And that one day I'll be a Power Ranger."

Laura had a momentary flash of panic at this revelation, but pushed it to the side, instead focusing on the problem at hand. "Then we'd best call your aunt," she finally said.

**********

Somewhere out in the depths of space, one young girl rolled over in her sleep, frowning at the turn her dream was taking. Though she was supposed to be evil, her thoughts and dreams did tend towards the happier end of the spectrum.

She whimpered in her sleep as an intense feeling of loss came over her.

"Go back to sleep, Marah," her older sister muttered from across the room.

**********

By the time Megan and Laura called Kimberly and Tommy's place, Kimberly was curled into Tommy's chest, gripping his shirt tightly as she sobbed. Luckily, Tommy was able to snag the phone from the side of the bed.

"Who's it?" he asked.

"How is she?" Laura asked, not even bothering to explain how she knew what had happened.

"She's … sobbing," Tommy said frankly. "I don't know how hard it hit her, but it must've been pretty hard."

"Megan woke screaming," Laura said.

"Megan felt it?" Tommy asked in surprise.

"Yeah. She said that Zordon told her that she's connected to the Morphing Grid somehow," Laura said. "And that … she's going to become one of you someday."

"She's going to become a Power Ranger?" Tommy asked in surprise.

This startled Kimberly enough to raise her head. "Who?" she asked.

"Megan," Tommy murmured to her.

"She said you all felt that too," Laura said.

"I think we did. Kimberly says all the Pinks felt it and I know I felt it. I'm not sure about how many else felt it other than that."

"Everybody," Kim whimpered. "All Rangers."

"Does she want me to come?" Laura asked. "I can be there in ten minutes tops."

"Kim?" Tommy asked. "Do you want your sister to come?"

Kim nodded and Tommy relayed the information.

"I'll be there," Laura said before hanging up.

Less than ten minutes later there was a knock on the door and Kim took off out of the room. Tommy followed at a slightly slower pace. When he reached the door, Kim was wrapped up in Laura's arms, still crying.

"It'll be all right," Laura said soothingly. "It'll be okay. She's a Power Ranger. Power Rangers don't die."

"But she did!" Kim whimpered. "And oh God it hurts."

The phone rang again and Tommy grabbed it from the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Tommy, man. How's Kim?"

"Jason? She's really upset. Laura's over here now. How are you and Trini?"

"Trini fell out of bed and I keep getting these pangs from the Red out there. He really had no clue he was in love with her," Jason said.

"Aw man," Tommy said. "I'm not really getting any of that. Just a dull ache. Is there any way we can get all the Pinks together?"

"Why just the Pinks? We _all_ felt it," Jason said. "The girls will probably all want to support each other."

"All right. Everyone's probably awake because of it, so let's start calling," Tommy said.


	12. Memorial Service

Author's Note: So apparently I wasn't clear on what happened in the last chapter. Kendrix Morgan was the Pink that died. It's canon for Lost Galaxy and nothing actually ever really ventures _that_ far from canon. This chapter doesn't actually have Tommy and Kimberly in it anywhere, but rather this is about the Wind Ninja Academy as told through Laura (Kim's sister)'s eyes.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Eleven: Memorial Services  
(Farewell Kendrix Morgan, Pink Galactic Power Ranger.  
You Will Be Remembered By All)**

_Date: December 30, 2000_

Laura Wright had always thought that the Ceremony for the Fallen Ninja was a heartbreaking thing, though coupled with the recent loss of one of the Power Rangers made it even worse. Megan still hadn't gotten over it and was prone to bouts of crying.

Now as the names of the fallen ninja were called out, including Sensei Kanoi's own wife, Megan had silent tears trickling down her cheeks. More than a few students were glancing at her in open curiosity. Cameron, who knew the reason for Megan's tears, was seated next to her looking quite stoic. Laura felt a wave of pity go through her for the boy. He wanted to be a ninja, but his father refused to train him. She and Greg were in the process of subtly teaching him by practicing or teaching in areas he frequented.

Megan gave a little sniffling hiccup and Cam put his arm around her shoulder. What was her daughter going to do when Cam went away to college after the winter holidays? She had friends at Blue Bay Middle, but Cam was her only friend at the Academy. And it wasn't exactly possible to invite people over to her house for a sleepover. But Megan would survive. That and she would start calling all of her aunts once a day.

Once all of the names had been read, Laura stood up.

"We offer a moment of silence for those that have fallen and also a moment of silence to hold in our hearts others that have fallen."

In the silence, Laura knew that Greg, Megan, Cam, and Sensei Kanoi's thoughts echoed her own.

_For Kendrix Morgan, who died to save Cassie Chan._

"We pray for them tonight and hope that they, along with our fallen comrades, gain their eternal peace."

The ninjas slowly started to trickle away, either back to the dorms or out through the waterfall entrance to their homes in Blue Bay. Megan and Cam remained on the bench and Laura and Greg went over to them.

"You okay?" Laura asked.

"No," Megan said.

"Come on," Cam said as he stood up. "Let's go down to Ops. I'll cook for you."

"Food?" Megan asked hopefully.

"Food," Cam said.

Megan stood up and followed Cam away, leaving Laura and Greg to themselves.

"Think she'll be all right?" Laura asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine. Cam's looking out for her. Our little girl's tough. She's got the blood of the Hart women running through her veins," Greg said.

"But what happens when he leaves for college again?" Laura asked.

"Megan'll lose weight, that's all," Greg said. "The amount of food that Cam makes for her when they're bored can't be healthy."

"Greg, I'm serious. She doesn't have a lot of friends," Laura said.

"But she has a huge family. And this huge family loves her and would come to her rescue for anything and everything. She'll be fine. Plus, I'm pretty sure Justin's inventing a teleporter as we speak so he can come see her whenever."

"I know," Laura said. "But she needs other friends."

"And she'll get them," Greg said. "Besides, it's Cam's last semester. She'll be fine."

"I guess. But I do worry about the others. Kim's taking this really hard, not to mention how badly Cassie's taking it. She thinks it's her fault."

"It's not her fault," Greg said. "But I don't know how anyone's going to be able to convince her of that."

Next time on _Power Rangers: One Little Change:_

"_No!" Zhane said immediately when his girlfriend informed him of her plans to go search for the Pink Quasar Saber._

"_But Zhane, I have to. Half of the universe still thinks that I'm Astronemna!"_

"_Which is exactly why you shouldn't go! Andros can't possibly think that this is okay."_

"_He doesn't," Karone admitted. "But Ashley's bullying him into letting me do it."_

_Zhane sighed in frustration and turned away from her. "I don't like it."_

"_I know," Karone said. "That's why I told you last. I knew you'd react badly to it."_

"_And everyone else is totally okay with this?" Zhane asked._

"_Ashley and Cassie understand why I have to do this. The boys aren't insanely okay with the idea … but if that Saber falls into the wrong hands then who knows what will happen. Zhane, I have to find the Saber."_


	13. Search For The Saber & The End Of Death

Author's Note: Okay, this is the last non-TK chapter for a while.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Twelve: The Search for the Saber and the End of Death  
(Zhane Does Not Like The Idea of Karone Putting Herself In  
Danger And Ends Up Stalking Her Much To Mike's Annoyance)**

_Date: January 10, 2000; February 3, 2000; February 18, 2000; April 15, 2000; April 17, 2000_

"No!" Zhane said immediately when his girlfriend informed him of her plans to go search for the Pink Quasar Saber.

"But Zhane, I have to. Half of the universe still thinks that I'm Astronemna!"

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't go! Andros can't possibly think that this is okay."

"He doesn't," Karone admitted. "But Ashley's bullying him into letting me do it."

Zhane sighed in frustration and turned away from her. "I don't like it."

"I know," Karone said. "That's why I told you last. I knew you'd react badly to it."

"And everyone else is totally okay with this?" Zhane asked.

"Ashley and Cassie understand why I have to do this. The boys aren't insanely okay with the idea … but if that Saber falls into the wrong hands then who knows what will happen. Zhane, I have to find the Saber."

"I know it needs to be found … But why do you have to do it?"

"Because some people out there still think that I'm Astronema. I can get places you all couldn't."

"I understand that. I understand that it needs to be found. Why can't I come with you to help?"

"Because you're Zhane, the Silver Astro Ranger. People know who you are."

Zhane frowned and Karone turned him around so that she could face him. "Zhane … I have to do this."

Zhane pulled her into his arms and sighed. "This doesn't have anything to do with the idea that you need to make up for all of the bad things that you did when you were Astronema, does it?"

"Not exactly," Karone said. "It can't hurt."

**********

Karone found it interesting how different Zhane's room seemed when it was empty. Granted, it wasn't his room anymore as he had his own ship. But there were still traces of him in the bare room even when he himself was gone. She'd taken to sitting in it when they weren't doing anything. For heaven's sake, it _smelled_ like her boyfriend.

She really did miss him. He'd come to visit once on his way back to KO-35 where she'd sent a message to her parents with him. But that was ages ago and since the defeat of Dark Specter she'd really always been with him.

She missed her brother too, and Ashley, Cassie, TJ, and Carlos. The Astro Rangers were great, but she would love to see her friends again.

She didn't regret her decision to look for the Pink Quasar Saber that led to this, but she did sometimes wish that there was someone else that could take the position. Not that it was possible, but it still would have been nice.

She did miss Zhane a whole lot.

**********

"Uh, Karone," Maya said as she walked in the door of their apartment like house. "There's some cute guy wandering around looking for you."

"Really?" Karone asked curiously. "What's he look like?"

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Mike asked curiously.

"That's the point," Karone said. "So Maya, what's he look like?"

"Tallish, blonde, and wearing silver. He looks really desperate," Maya said.

"I'll go find him," Karone said, getting up from the table.

"You want me to come with you?" Leo asked, starting to rise. Ever since she'd arrived and become the Pink Ranger, Leo had somehow managed to always make sure she was okay. She had a feeling it was because he didn't realize he was in love with Kendrix until…

Well, he was definitely channeling Andros was all.

"No, I'll be fine," Karone grinned.

There was a knock on the door and Maya, who was still standing at it, opened it.

"Karone!" the tall, blonde, silver – wearing, desperate looking man said happily.

"Zhane!" Karone giggled, running to him. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"Seeing you and _The Karovian_," Zhane said. "Ashley decided I needed to get away from the gang for a while. Apparently I've been moody."

"You? Moody?" Karone asked him teasingly. "I never would have guessed."

"Shut up," Zhane said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Well, isn't this delightful," Mike said sarcastically from behind them.

"Oh be quiet," Maya said. "I think it's cute."

Karone, who was used to the bickering between Maya and Mike, just shrugged it off, though she found it highly amusing when Zhane blushed.

"Come on, Zhane," Karone said, taking his hand. "Let's get out of here." She led Zhane out of the room, and to the artificial outside environment. "So, how are things back on Earth? With the Rangers? Ashley and Andros? Cassie? TJ? Carlos?"

"Whoa," Zhane said. "Hold on. One thing at a time. Cassie, TJ, and Carlos are fine. Ashley and Andros are still ridiculously disgusting with their Public Displays of Affection. The formers are doing fine. You remember Tommy and Kimberly?"

"Mhmm," Karone said, basking in the feeling of having Zhane at her side.

"Well, they moved in together a while ago but nobody really found out until recently. All of the girls started squealing when they found that bit of news out," Zhane said.

"I bet. Weren't Cassie and Ashley obsessed with the two of them for a while?" Karone asked.

"Not as obsessed as Kimberly's niece," Zhane said. "That girl is insane."

"Have I met her?" Karone asked.

"Briefly. She was at _The Astro Megaship_ Museum's Opening Ceremony," Zhane said. "Megan Wright."

"Oh, yeah. The crazy child," Karone laughed. She pulled him over to a bench and the two sat down. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too," Zhane said as he pulled her to him for a kiss.

**********

As soon as Karone saw Kendrix she was filled with relief. Kendrix was alive, which meant that everything was all right with the Power Rangers. Somehow, she had come back to life even after her sacrifice to save Cassie. She was curious as to how it happened though.

Apparently so was everyone else.

"When I gave the Saber to Karone I knew that I would be okay once the Sabers were returned to Mironoi," Kendrix said.

Leo, who had barely removed himself from her side since she'd come back, said, "You _knew_?"

"I just did. I don't know how to explain it," Kendrix said.

Karone frowned slightly. "It is possible. I know a girl on Earth who has a connection to the Morphing Grid that we can't explain."

"The Morphing Grid?" Maya asked.

"Did I never tell you all about the Morphing Grid?" Karone asked in surprise. "It's what allows us to morph. It's universal and it has special capabilities that allows us to tap into it and become the Power Rangers and take care of the universe. We don't know much about it other than that. I'm sure there are people out in the universe that understand it better, but due to a war on Eltar most of them died."

"Really?" Kendrix asked. "So that could be why I knew?"

"Exactly," Karone said.

"Interesting," Mike said.

**********

"To celebrate the end of the Galaxy Power Rangers, I invited a few friends," Karone grinned.

"Who?" Maya asked.

"Us," Ashley said from the doorway.

Zhane immediately sought out his girlfriend while Cassie ran to Kendrix and hugged her. "Oh I'm so glad you're all right. And I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Cassie," Kendrix said. "It's not your fault."

"But I feel like it is," Cassie said.

"I'm okay now. Everything's going to be all right," Kendrix said.

Zhane tucked his arm around Karone's waist and whispered, "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said. "I'm more worried about Leo."

"Why?" Zhane asked.

"He hasn't left Kendrix's side unless he absolutely has to. He was really freaked when she was … gone." She smiled a little. "He's definitely got what Megan calls 'Ranger love.'"

"That he does," Zhane said. "But then again, so do we."

Karone grinned up at Zhane. "Yeah, we do."

* * *

**Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change**

_Tommy and Kimberly were lying on their bed avoiding getting up at all costs. It was just one of those lazy Sunday mornings where you didn't want to do anything at all. Someone, however, was definitely not agreeing with the two of them as Kimberly's cell phone rang just as the two were about to fall back asleep._

"_Mnh," Kimberly muttered into the phone after she grabbed it. _

"_**KIMBERLY!!!**__" someone shrieked on the other end of the phone._

_Kimberly let out a mini shriek of her own and jerked the phone away from her ear._

"_Who's it?" Tommy asked blearily._

"_I don't know," Kimberly muttered. "But whoever it is, they're going to die a slow and painful death." She cautiously held the phone back to her ear and said, "Hello?" in the most derisive tone she could muster._

"_Kimberly Hart. You are never going to believe what happened!" Cassie Chan said enthusiastically._

"_You just ruptured my ear drum?" Kimberly said sarcastically. _

"_Sorry," Cassie said. "But this is so fantastic I can't be quiet."_

"_What happened?" Kimberly asked, trying to snuggle back into Tommy._

"_The Phantom Ranger kissed me. Hard. And asked me if he could live on Earth," Cassie said._


	14. The Phantom Ranger

Author's Note: There's going to be a parallel to this story in the OLC: Extras story. It's going to be from Cassie's POV. It's not finished yet, but I will have it done hopefully soon. And if you're interested, I've made wordle's for each chapter. They're posted up on the LJ community (1littlechange). I'm going to post the wordle for the next chapter right after I post this chapter and I'm going to continue doing that. If that makes any sense. So if you want you can go and find a sneak peak of what's coming up next.

Also, I have everything up to Chapter 19 written and there's a total of 89,195 words for the story. Yayz.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Thirteen: The Phantom Ranger  
(Cassie Gets A Boyfriend)**

_Date: June 16, 2000; June 21, 2000_

Tommy and Kimberly were lying on their bed avoiding getting up at all costs. It was just one of those lazy Sunday mornings where you didn't want to do anything at all. Someone, however, was definitely not agreeing with the two of them as Kimberly's cell phone rang just as the two were about to fall back asleep.

"Mnh," Kimberly muttered into the phone after she grabbed it.

"_**KIMBERLY!!!**_" someone shrieked on the other end of the phone.

Kimberly let out a mini shriek of her own and jerked the phone away from her ear.

"Who's it?" Tommy asked blearily.

"I don't know," Kimberly muttered. "But whoever it is, they're going to die a slow and painful death." She cautiously held the phone back to her ear and said, "Hello?" in the most derisive tone she could muster.

"Kimberly Hart. You are _never_ going to believe what happened!" Cassie Chan said enthusiastically.

"You just ruptured my ear drum?" Kimberly said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Cassie said. "But this is so fantastic I can't be quiet."

"What happened?" Kimberly asked, trying to snuggle back into Tommy.

"The Phantom Ranger kissed me. Hard. And asked me if he could live on Earth," Cassie said.

"_What?!_" Kimberly shrieked, shooting up in bed. "Oh my God!"

"What happened?" Tommy asked and Kimberly smacked him on the arm to shut him up.

"Tell me _everything_," Kimberly demanded.

"We were on some planet that I don't remember the name of and I was flirting with TJ because that's what we do, you know? And then all of the sudden the Phantom Ranger's there and I was totally excited to see him. And apparently he thought I was dating TJ but I explained that I wasn't. Then he mentioned that he'd missed seeing us and that he'd missed seeing me. Then I told him that I missed seeing him too. Then he took off his helmet. I actually thought the suit was his body but apparently not. So he took off his helmet and _man_ is he attractive. Anyways, he kissed me really hard and I was totally floating around Cloud Nine. Then he told me that he was tired of living around the universe and wanted somewhere to settle. Then he looked all awkward, which is bizarre for him because I've never actually seen him have facial expressions, and asked if I would permit him to stay on Earth."

"Oh my God," Kimberly said. "That's fantastic Cassie."

"What about Cassie?" Tommy asked. Kimberly hit him again.

"So, what did you say?" Kimberly asked.

"I said yes. He's moving in with TJ," Cassie said.

Kimberly squealed and Tommy, deciding he'd had enough, rolled out of bed to find food.

"This is fantastic Cassie," Kimberly said. "I'm so happy for you."

"I'm totally overwhelmed," Cassie said. "I don't know what to do."

"I'm coming," Kimberly said. "As soon as I can manage to get away for a little bit I am so coming."

**********

It took Kimberly very little time to manage to get away from school and back to Angel Grove. The weekend wasn't that far off and Kimberly didn't have a lot of work due the following week so she dragged Tommy back to Angel Grove for the weekend.

"Hiya TJ!" Kim chirped as the Red Turbo and Blue Astro Ranger opened the door. She pushed past him and left Tommy on the front step.

"Hey Tommy," TJ said.

"Sorry about Kim," Tommy said. "She's a little hyper about the Phantom Ranger. What's his name anyways?"

"Xaren. Xaren Fieren," TJ said. "Come on in."

TJ's place was actually pretty small all things considered. Due to the copious amounts of cash that the Astro Rangers had been given by the government of the United States and from public appearances, they really could purchase nearly any house they wanted. They didn't though. Buying things for the inside was much more fun in their opinion. And TJ and Carlos preferred buying cars that went fast as a layover from their Turbo days. Granted, that was how most of the Turbos felt.

Xaren, as it turned out, looked human enough, more human than Zordon had in fact. The only thing that would make him seem different than the average human was the fact that his green eyes were a little too green to be normal.

"Hello," he said as soon as Tommy walked into the room. "You must be Tommy." Cassie and Kim were chattering in the corner.

"I am," Tommy said.

"We've given him the run down on everyone," Carlos said. "He knows who everyone is."

"That'll help when the hoards descend," Tommy said.

"What do you mean?" Xaren asked curiously.

"All of the girls will want to meet you. So it's fairly likely that the boys will be coerced into coming at the first available opportunity," Tommy said.

"Oh," Xaren said. "And that is a bad thing?"

"Think hyperactive girls," TJ said, glancing pointedly at Kim.

"Oh," Xaren said, beginning to look alarmed.

"I saw that look Theodore Jarvis!" Kim said. "I am not hyperactive."

"Yes you are," TJ said. "You're always hyperactive."

"Shut up," Kim said. "So, Xaren. What are your plans?"

"I will be staying with TJ for a while until I can find my own place here on Earth. Cassie also features heavily in my plans," Xaren said.

Cassie blushed prettily at that. "So, what made you want to stay here? I'm sure flying around the universe is more interesting than staying here," Tommy said.

"I want a place to call my own," Xaren said. "I was very young when Eltar was destroyed. My family survived. Years later my parents died, though before they did I was put into hypersleep to prevent ageing. When I awoke I found that the universe was in a great state of peril. What I did was far from boring in saving the universe from small evils, though I now find myself in need of something permanent."

The front door opened and Ashley, Andros, Zhane, and Karone walked in. "Hi Kim!" Ashley said. "Hi Tommy!"

"Hey Ashley," Kim said. "Where were you guys?"

"Zhane and Karone were on KO-35 when Xaren decided to surprise us," Ashley said. "We had to go and get them."

"Makes sense," Kim said.

"So, Xaren," Zhane said. "You're staying here."

"Yes I am," Xaren nodded.

"Cool. One more person who has no idea what half of the stuff on Earth means," Zhane grinned.

"You and Andros are coming along nicely though," Ashley said.

"And you do realize there's a lot of stuff on Earth that _we_ don't understand, right?" Cassie asked.

"Like what?" Zhane asked teasingly.

"Football, NASCAR, chemistry, physics, so science in general I guess to name a few," Cassie said.

"Football is easy to understand," Tommy said.

"That's because you played it Handsome," Kim said.

"Doesn't mean it's not easy to understand," TJ said.

"I cheered for it and I don't understand it," Kim said. "And he played it while we were dating and tried to explain it multiple times."

"What's football?" Xaren asked.

********************

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change:

"_Trini!" Kimberly screeched into the phone._

"_This is Jason, sis," Jason said on the other end._

"_We have serious issues!" Kimberly said._

"_What's wrong?" Jason asked immediately all seriousness._

"_Big, big issues!" Kimberly repeated._

"_Like what?" Jason asked, getting frustrated with his overly dramatic almost sister._

"_Joel Rawlings eloped and didn't tell anyone!" Kimberly yelled._


	15. The 1st Power Ranger To Ever Get Married

Author's Note: Hello! I'm coming up on finals time, so I'm going to take a little bit of a hiatus. I promise that I'll post chapter 15 on May 8th. I need to focus on finals, as it's the end of my freshman year of college. Chapter 21 is completed too.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Fourteen: The First Power Ranger To Ever Get Married  
(Is In Trouble Because He Eloped)**

_Date: July 12, 2001; July 20, 2001_

"Trini!" Kimberly screeched into the phone.

"This is Jason, sis," Jason said on the other end.

"We have serious issues!" Kimberly said.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked immediately all seriousness.

"Big, big issues!" Kimberly repeated.

"Like what?" Jason asked, getting frustrated with his overly dramatic almost sister.

"Joel Rawlings eloped and didn't tell anyone!" Kimberly yelled.

Jason stared at the wall for a few seconds before asking, "And that's a big issue?"

"Yes!" Kimberly said in shock. "Oh, you're useless. I need a girl to talk to. Put Trini on. Why are you answering her cell phone anyways?"

"Because she's at my place and is currently asleep," Jason said.

"I need to talk to her! Wake her up! This is monsterly important!" Kimberly said.

There were the sounds of a struggle and then Tommy came on the line. "Jason? Sorry man. She's a little uptight at the moment."

"I couldn't tell," Jason said with a smirk. "What's up with Rawlings?"

"He was the Green Lightspeed and the Time Force guys had a mash up and the Lightspeed Pink Ranger called Kim about 20 minutes ago. She's been freaking out since then."

"So what if they eloped?" Jason asked. "It's none of our business."

"She's under the impression that all Rangers have to attend a Ranger wedding. Part of her family idea," Tommy said.

"Jason?" Trini asked from behind him. "Why are you on my phone?"

"Kimberly called. She's going crazy because the Green Lightspeed Ranger eloped without telling anyone," Jason asked.

"What?" Trini yelled, lunging for the phone and ripping it out of her startled boyfriend's hands. "Kim!"

"Tommy," Tommy said quickly. "I'll get Kim."

"Trini?!"

"How could he get married without inviting us?!" Trini asked in extreme annoyance.

"I know!" Kimberly said. "It's just not fair! Everybody has to go to one of the weddings!"

"One of?" Tommy asked. "This is the first wedding!"

"And it is so not the last!" Kimberly protested. "And everybody's going to each and every one of them!"

"What?" Trini asked, having not heard Tommy's side of the conversation.

"Tommy was complaining about how this is the first wedding," Kimberly said.

"You are so right. This is definitely not the last Power Ranger wedding we'll have. I mean, Andros and Ashley have to get married, Zhane and Karone have to get married, plus Leo and Kendrix have to get married."

"Exactly," Kimberly said.

"Not to mention Tommy and Kim," Jason said idly, causing Trini to smack him.

"We need a plan of attack," Trini growled.

"Whoa, whoa," Jason said in alarm. "Who said anything about attacking?"

"We need to get the girls together," Trini said, ignoring her boyfriend.

"Oh yeah," Kimberly agreed. "And then we plot."

The two girls hung up and Kimberly turned to Tommy. "I'm going to call all of the girls. And then we kill Joel."

"Hey, no killing the Green Ranger. That's not a good idea," Tommy protested.

"But he got married and didn't tell us!" Kimberly pouted.

Tommy sighed and pulled his upset girlfriend onto his lap. "Beautiful, it's his life. We don't really know him. It's okay if he doesn't invite us. He didn't even invite his own team after all."

Kimberly crossed her arms and sighed. "I know. But as fellow Power Rangers, we're all a family. And family gets invited to weddings."

"All right," Tommy said. "But don't hurt him. Yelling is okay, but hurting is not."

"I doubt his wife would even let us," Kimberly said. "And besides, maybe we can meet the Time Force guys in the process."

"Fine. But you should bring the guys too. Just to explain to him why our girlfriends get a little crazy about things," Tommy said.

"Crazy?" Kimberly asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Only in the most affectionate way," Tommy said quickly.

"Oh really?"

"Really," Tommy said, pressing a quick kiss to his girlfriend's lips. "I like crazy. Crazy is good. Very good."

"I'm still going to hurt him," Kimberly said.

"Fine," Tommy sighed.

**********

It really didn't take long to gather the female Power Rangers together and their Ranger boyfriends to explain to Joel exactly why he screwed up. Kimberly, Trini, Aisha, Tanya, Ashley, Cassie, Karone, Tommy, Jason, Rocky, Adam, Andros, Zhane, and Xaren arrived in Mariner Bay. Dana was going to get Joel to them so that he could be ambushed.

"Are you all really going to do this?" Jason asked.

"That would be a yes," Trini said.

"He needs to know what he did wrong," Kimberly said firmly.

"Exactly," Aisha said. "He needs to understand that we made a deal!"

"A deal about what?" Kimberly asked. "I don't remember a deal."

"Uh, never mind," Trini said. "It doesn't matter. The point is, we're all supposed to do big huge Ranger weddings together."

The boys looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Let's get this over with," Jason said.

"When's he going to get here?" Karone asked.

"He'll get here when he gets here," Zhane said.

"About five minutes," Kimberly said.

"That's five minutes too many," Trini growled.

"Do our girlfriends scare you?" Tommy asked the collection of guys present.

"Yes," Rocky hissed back. "Aisha terrifies me sometimes."

"I think ours are scarier," Jason told Tommy, who nodded.

"Just wait until the chaos really begins," Tommy said.

"I can't tell if I hope that he doesn't show up of if he does," Andros said.

"If he doesn't, we get killed because all of the anger is going to be directed towards us. And then the questions of proposing will arise," Zhane said.

"I'm already engaged," Andros said. "I'm perfectly fine. And we're inviting everyone, so I'm not dead."

"If he does show up, he'll die," Adam said.

"Painfully," Jason said. "And they may take it out on us anyways."

"Good point," Adam said. "So, how about we run for it?"

"Running will make it worse," Rocky said.

"I'm still very confused," Xaren said. "Is this an Earth custom or a Power Ranger female custom?"

"This is a Power Ranger girl thing," Jason said. "Apparently they made some deal about marriage and babies or some nonsense."

"It was _not_ nonsense Jason Scott!" Trini said.

"Sorry," Jason said hastily, holding his hands up in his defense. "Sorry."

"They believe that every Power Ranger should attend a Power Ranger wedding due to the fact that we're all a family with the Power," Tommy said.

"So this Joel is in trouble because he didn't invite everyone?" Xaren asked.

"He didn't invite anyone. He eloped," Karone said.

"Eloped?" Xaren asked.

"He and Angela were the only ones at the wedding aside from a witness. Nobody else was there," Cassie explained. "It's an Earth thing."

"Hey! Hey! He's coming!" Kimberly shouted, peering out the window of Dana's house. "Quick, everybody act natural!"

"How is that supposed to work?" Tommy asked, but he did was his girlfriend ordered.

"Let's hide in the kitchen," Jason hissed at the boys. "This is going to be messy."

The boys began slinking off to the kitchen one by one until it was just Tommy left. Sadly, at that exact instant the front door opened and the girls launched themselves at Joel, grabbing him and dragging him to a seat. The man looked thoroughly bewildered and shocked and quite a bit afraid of the girls.

"Uh, hi?" he said, staring at them all. "What's going on?"

"What's going on, Mr. Rawlings, is that you broke a Power Ranger Rule. A big one. With capital letters. An important one!" Kimberly said.

"Which one?" Joel asked his nervousness increasing by the second.

"The marriage one!" Trini said, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"There's a marriage rule?" Joel asked in confusion.

"We didn't know about it," Carter said from the doorway. "But they're taking it out on us anyways."

"You shut up," Kimberly said. "Or I'll find something to yell at you about."

"Okay," Carter said, backing away and into the kitchen where he saw the other boys. Tommy, jolted back into action followed suit as did Chad and Ryan. Kelsey, who looked mildly amused at all of this, stayed where she was. Angela, now assured her new husband wasn't going to be killed by a rabid bunch of Pinks and Yellows, smirked slightly and leaned against the wall.

"Anybody want to explain it to me?" Joel asked hesitantly.

"If a Power Ranger is going to get married, then everybody has to get invited to the wedding!" Kimberly and Trini shouted at him.

Joel jerked back at the force of the shouting and his eyes widened in what could only be described as fear. "Oh crap," he said.

**********

In the kitchen the boys were staying as silent as possible in order to keep the girls from realizing that they were back there. Due to this they could hear every word uttered by the girls.

"You were supposed to invite all of us. I don't care if you didn't know about it," Kimberly said.

"It's common courtesy!" Trini said.

"You need to understand that we're a family and need to treat each other as such," Karone said.

"It doesn't matter if you weren't aware that we're a family. You need to think about that," Aisha said.

"He is so going to die," Jason whispered as the girls continued to berate Joel.

"Probably," Tommy agreed.

There was a sudden silence in the other room and all of the guys looked at each other in alarm.

"Tommy?" Kimberly called out in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Oh crap."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

_Kimberly Hart walked into the base of the Silver Hills Clock Tower to the sight and sounds of a man and woman not much older than she yelling at one another. She titled her head to the side and watched them, amused. When she noticed their choice in clothing, she became even more amused. Well, this Pink and Red Ranger were clearly halfway or more to being in love. In that case, her reason for visiting would be even more amusing. _


	16. Time For Time Force!

Author's Note: This one's early because my final today only took 30 minutes instead of the 2 hours that were scheduled. And I didn't have to get an IV today when I went for a CT Scan. Yayz! Also, this chapter's a bit short, but Wes and Jen fight and act a tad awkward around one another thanks to Kim.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Fifteen: Time For … Time Force!!!  
(Kimberly Decides That Time Force Needs To Know About The Pact)**

_Date: July 24, 2001_

Kimberly Hart walked into the base of the Silver Hills Clock Tower to the sight and sounds of a man and woman not much older than she yelling at one another. She titled her head to the side and watched them, amused. When she noticed their choice in clothing, she became even more amused. Well, this Pink and Red Ranger were clearly halfway or more to being in love. In that case, her reason for visiting would be even more amusing.

She cleared her throat and the two turned to look at her. "Hi," she said. "Wes Collins and Jen Scotts, right?"

"How can we help you?" Jen asked.

"Get your team together. I need to talk to you all," Kim said.

Wes and Jen exchanged a look but Wes headed upstairs. "He'll be back in a couple of minutes. There's a lot of stairs."

"No elevator?" Kim asked.

"No," Jen laughed. "Just a whole lot of stairs. Great view up there though."

"I can imagine. You'd be able to see the entire town, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah," Jen said.

The two were silent until Wes came down with the others. Kim easily picked off the other Rangers' colors both from the description that the Lightspeed team had given the former Rangers.

"What can we do for you?" Wes asked.

"Okay, this won't matter for you three," Kim said, gesturing to Katie, Lucas, and Trip. "But you still need to be aware. If you," she said, pointing at Wes, "get married I fully expect to get invited."

"What?" Wes asked in confusion.

"And tell Eric too," Kim said, enjoying the confusion that all of the Rangers were displaying.

"Who are you?" Trip asked.

"Kimberly Hart," Kim said.

Realization dawned on the faces of the Rangers from the future. "Oh my God!" Jen said. "You're an original!"

"Original what?" Wes asked, still completely confused.

"She's the original Pink Ranger!" Jen said. "Wow. You're here. And I'm talking to you."

Kim grinned at Wes. "I am the original Pink. The Lightspeed team told us all about you. I also came to inform you that you're now a part of the Ranger family. I know that four of you are technically from the future show you have a Ranger family of your own presumably."

"Wait, you're one of the members of the original team from Angel Grove?" Wes asked.

"Yup," Kim grinned.

"What was that about the wedding stuff?" Katie asked.

"Oh, see we made a deal that every Ranger got invited to a Ranger wedding. And one Joel Rawlings didn't pay attention to it because he didn't actually know about it but he didn't even invite his own team. So I'm informing you Mr. Collins about this rule and fully expect you to inform Mr. Meyers of it."

"Uh, okay," Wes said. "Couldn't you have called?"

"I wanted to meet you all in person," Kim said. "I've met all of the other teams."

"Come on up to the tower," Jen said. "We can show you around and talk."

"And you can meet Circuit!" Trip said.

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_Dear God where is the house?" Rocky asked._

"_Far back in the woods," Aisha said from the driver's seat. _

"_Why on Earth would they want that?" Rocky asked._

"_Because it's away from the people," Aisha said. "They wanted privacy."_

"_But it's so far," Rocky whined. _

"_Shut up," Aisha said as they came through the trees into the clearing where the house was. "Oh it's so cute!"_

"_Eh, it's fine I guess," Rocky said._

"_You're just doing this so that I don't want a house, aren't you?" Aisha asked. _

"…_No…"_


	17. Reefside Gets Some New Residents

Author's Notes: The Dino Gems are mentioned. Because I felt they needed backstory.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Sixteen: Reefside Gets Some New Residents  
(And Is Nearly Infested With Former Rangers)**

_Date: July 30, 2001; September 6, 2001_

Laura Wright was halfway through a lesson when Cam appeared at the edge of the training field. He mouthed, "Your sister's here," and she nodded at him.

For the second half of the class, Laura wondered what would bring Kimberly to the Academy. Kimberly wasn't generally one to arrive at the Academy, preferring to meet Laura in Blue Bay. As soon as class was dismissed, she hurried over to the main building to find Kimberly.

"Laura!" Kimberly chirped happily from her seat next to Cam. "Hi!"

"What are you doing here?" Laura asked.

"Tommy and I are buying a house!" Kimberly said.

"You told mom yet? You know what she'll have to say on the subject," Laura said.

"Whatever," Kimberly said. "Tommy and I found a house in Reefside."

"Oh you did?" Laura asked. "That mean I can send Megan over to you when she gets annoying? If so, Cam can have a bit of a respite."

"I don't mind Megan," Cam said. "She's like my little sister."

"You mean your little sister that you never wanted, right?" Laura grinned.

"You're an evil, evil mother," Megan said from the doorway. "Cam loooves me. Isn't that right?"

"Of course," Cam said sarcastically.

"Hi Aunt Kim. What are you doing here?" Megan asked.

"Tommy and I are moving to Reefside," Kim said.

"Awesome!" Megan said.

"Can I help decorate? Especially seeing as I don't own a house to decorate, just a suite of rooms here," Laura said.

"That was the point of coming here," Kimberly said. "Oh, and there's more. You know how Tommy was working with Anton Mercer, right?"

"Yeah," Laura said.

"Well, he found these gems," Kimberly started.

"Is he giving them to you?" Laura asked.

"They're not that kind of gems," Kimberly said dryly. "They're Dino Gems apparently."

"What are those?" Megan asked, pulling a soda out of the fridge.

"I'm not totally sure as I stopped understanding about every third word Tommy said. It was kind of like having Billy back in a way. But they'll bond genetically to the first person that touches them with skin. They'll give them superpowers. Only we don't know what they are. Tommy found three of them and rumors say that there's more."

"So they're going to make Power Rangers," Laura said slowly.

"Means there have to be at least five or six gems," Megan said.

"Well, I don't know about that, but Tommy's starting to talk about finding people to use them and possibly needing them and all sorts of stuff," Kim said. "So he and Hayley are now plotting about making morphers."

"More dinosaur Rangers?" Laura asked. "Didn't Tommy get enough before?"

"He wasn't technically a dinosaur," Kim said. "But I don't know. I mean, if there's a chance we need them…"

"There are 27 Rangers with powers excluding Aunt Trini, Uncle Zack, and Uncle Jason because nobody's supposed to know they still have powers. You can still go all Ninjetti on people, and Uncle Billy has friends on other planets. As do you now. Oh, and then there's Xaren," Megan said.

"You really are perfect to be the Ranger Historian, aren't you?" Cam asked. "Not to mention the fact that if it was really necessary, the ninjas could help."

"Yeah, but this is Tommy we're talking about," Laura said. "He's been the most Rangers. I don't think he's going to turn that down again."

"We really don't want to take the gems though," Kim said. "We're adults now. And yes, some teams have been adults, but we were Rangers as kids. I don't want to have to do that again. But Hayley's gotten the idea into her head now and it's … well, it's sort of taken off."

"How so?" Laura asked.

"Tommy's going to build a lair down in the basement. Complete with a secret entrance and an escape tunnel," Kim said.

"I really wonder about him sometimes," Laura sighed.

"So do I," Kim said. "But Hayley and Trini are going to set up the computer system down in the lair."

"I thought Hayley was moving to Washington, DC," Laura said.

"Not anymore. Once she heard about this she decided she was going to move wherever we did. So she's going to live in Reefside too now," Kim said.

"And do what? Run a computer repair shop?" Megan asked. "Tutor kids in multi-variable pre calculus?"

"Cybercafé," Kim said.

"A what?" Laura asked.

"Well you know how I want to start a gym, right? Well I found the perfect location for one in downtown Reefside."

"How do you know if it's downtown? All of the cities around here are midget sized," Megan said.

"It's downtown and be quiet," Kim said. "There's this building right next door to it and apparently when Hayley was younger she watched _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and wanted to be that guy who owns the candy shop and gives away the free candy while singing, which is a little weird if you ask me."

"Hayley or the candy shop guy?" Megan asked.

"Both. But Hayley says she wants to turn the building into a cybercafé," Kim said. "And because of it, we're thinking about maybe joining the two somehow."

"Are you trying to turn into Ernie?" Laura asked.

"Ernie?" Cam asked.

"He ran the Youth Center in Angel Grove for years," Laura explained. "Everybody hung out there."

"I'm not aiming for that, but it might be fun if it turns out that way," Kim said.

"Are you going to turn the gym into a full on gymnastics place, or more like it was at Ernie's?" Laura asked.

"I'm thinking a mix of both," Kim said. "It would be good to have other stuff there too. Some people will want to train with me because of the Pan Global bit. But I also want kids to be able to show up and work out. So maybe a set of rooms just for free stuff and then the rest of the gym for paying kids."

"Set up like Ernie for the free section?" Laura asked.

"Ernie sans gymnastics equipment. Business wise I'd rather have them pay me to do gymnastics. And they'll be open time for everyone to use the gymnastics equipment," Kimberly said.

"Okay, yeah," Megan said. "Do I get in for free because I'm related?"

"Possibly," Kim said. "But more to the point, Tommy and I already bought the house and we're moving in at the beginning of September. So I was hoping that you'd help us."

"Of course," Laura said. "I'm your older sister. I'm supposed to help you with this kind of thing. And besides, it'll be fun to torment Tommy."

"The gang's coming to help too, so it should be even more fun," Kim said.

"Oh, this is going to be great. Have you told mom yet?"

"No," Kim said slowly. "I was sort of hoping you help me with that too."

"Sure, come on. Let's go do it now," Laura said.

"Now?" Kim asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"Yes now," Laura said, dragging Kim off.

**********

"Dear God where is the house?" Rocky asked.

"Far back in the woods," Aisha said from the driver's seat.

"Why on Earth would they want that?" Rocky asked.

"Because it's away from the people," Aisha said. "They wanted privacy."

"But it's so far," Rocky whined.

"Shut up," Aisha said as they came through the trees into the clearing where the house was. "Oh it's so cute!"

"Eh, it's fine I guess," Rocky said.

"You're just doing this so that I don't want a house, aren't you?" Aisha asked.

"…No…"

Aisha laughed as she put the car in park next to the moving van that Tommy and Kim were getting out of. "This is gorgeous, Kim," Aisha said as she got out of the car.

"Wait until you see the basement. Tommy's already started killing it," Kim said.

"I'm not killing it!" Tommy protested. "I'm improving it."

"That's what they always say," Aisha said. "And then you find out that the toaster no longer works like a toaster but instead somehow manages to shoot air out."

"I was honestly trying to fix it!" Rocky said.

"Just because you were a Blue darling doesn't mean you can try to take apart the toaster," Aisha said as Trini snickered.

"I'll take a look at it," she said.

"Already got a new one," Aisha told her. "Rocky won't let me get rid of the 'improved' one though."

"I wasn't going to try and fix it," Trini said. "I want to see how he did it."

"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Jason said quickly. "If you want to mess around with stuff, do it to their basement."

"Are we going to actually move anything in?" Laura asked as she leaned against her car.

"When the others show," Kim said.

"Want to see the basement?" Tommy asked.

"Might as well," Aisha shrugged.

"It's ugly," Kim pouted.

"It was ugly before they started working on it," Jason said.

"Can we just go inside?" Rocky asked.

"Sure," Kim said.

"How many bedrooms does this place have?" Aisha asked as they walked in the very empty house.

"Four bedrooms, three and two half baths," Kim said.

"There's four bedrooms in this thing?" Rocky asked in surprise.

"Well, technically there was a fake bedroom in the basement, but now it's storage," Kim said. "There's one on this floor and three upstairs."

"How can you have a fake bedroom?" Jason asked.

"Legally it has to have at least one window that's large enough for someone to escape," Trini said.

"I'm going to take it that there wasn't one," Jason said.

"Not even a small window," Kim said.

"What are you going to do with three extra bedrooms?" Aisha asked.

"Probably guest rooms or offices or something," Tommy said.

The sound of cars pulling up came in through the open door. "Hey, Adam, Tanya, and the Astros are here," Rocky said after glancing out the open door.

"Oh joy, moving heavy objects time," Laura sighed. "Remind me why I didn't bring my husband?"

"Because he has classes to teach," Kim said.

"But I could have brought Cam," Laura said. "He's as old as you guys." Laura stopped abruptly.

"What?" Tommy asked.

"Cam's your age," Laura said. "That is so weird. I've never thought of it like that. It's generally that he's just lots older than Megan."

"And why is this weird?" Kim asked.

"Because I typically think of him as almost being young enough to be my son. But he's actually old enough to be my sibling," Laura said.

"You're the weird one," Kim sighed.

"Hey guys," Cassie said as she got out of the car. "Ready to move stuff?"

"Let's start then," Tommy said, pushing the door on the back of the moving van open.

"It's not even like we have a lot to move," Kim said. "You can't fit much stuff in an apartment really."

"So how are we doing this? Just moving everything in and then organizing it or organizing as we go?" Ashley asked.

"Move it all in first, organize later. All I care about is having somewhere to sleep and somewhere to eat. What kind of horizontal surfaces those are don't really matter," Kim said.

"Do you even have food?" Rocky asked. "What?" he asked when everyone looked at him. "It's not _all_ I think about."

"Whatever, let's get this stuff inside," Tommy said.

It took only about an hour and a half to get all of the stuff inside, though in that time half of the boys managed to bitterly complain about all of the stuff they had to move in. The girls called them all wimps and ignored them.

"Can we order a pizza? Or six?" Rocky asked.

"You are _not_ eating six pizzas yourself," Aisha said.

"They're not for me. I'm not that crazy," Rocky said. "They're for all of us. Though since there're fifteen of us and five are Red Rangers, I think maybe we should order more."

"That's a good point," Aisha said ruefully. "Anyone else hungry aside from the perpetually hungry one?"

"I could do with some food," TJ said.

"Does the phone line work yet?" Laura asked.

"Yup," Kim said, digging through a box. "Here," she said, tossing a phone to her sister. "Just plug it in the kitchen."

"How many with what?" Laura asked as she headed into the kitchen.

"Cheese!"

"Pepperoni!"

"Meat lovers!"

"Veggie!"

"Garlic bread!"

"Anchovie!"

Everyone turned to look at Andros and Zhane in shock. "What?" Tommy asked.

"It's like something on KO-35," Zhane shrugged. "And it's tasty."

"Well you're going to have to deal with not getting any," Laura called from the kitchen.

Kimberly settled down next to Tommy on the floor. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "So, how do you feel about all of this?" he asked.

"Having our crazy friends in our house? Or actually living in our house?" she asked him.

"The latter," Tommy said.

"It's very permanent," Kim mused. "But I like it." She glanced around the room. "I'm not feeling the moving though."

"That is why we have friends," Tommy said with a grin.

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_This is incredible," Trini said as she surveyed the very empty, yet very open for business Cyberspace Café. "I should have come up earlier to see it."_

_Cyberspace was fully operational, as was Kim's gym was also fully operational and even had a few students signed up. _

"_So, Kim, what exactly are you doing with Crane Gymnastics?" Tanya asked. _

"_Well, I'm offering a bunch of different levels of gymnastics training for starters," Kim said. "Then there's also the weight room which has exercise mats as well. There's a smaller room which can be used for dance lessons or step aerobics which I plan on teaching."_

_The former Rangers looked at one another while Kim looked at them in confusion. "Yup, it's official," Tommy said. _

"_This has become the Youth Center," Aisha said. _

"_Huh?" Hayley asked. _

"_No it's not," Kim said defensively. "The Youth Center was one building and it served food. There were classes for all sorts of things, like martial arts and dancing and step aerobics. Ernie had gymnastics equipment there and…" she trailed off. "Oh God. This really is turning into the Youth Center, isn't it?"_


	18. Setting Up

Author's Notes: Wow. This is a lot shorter than I thought it was. Oh, and a future!Ranger shows up. For like three sentences, but still.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Seventeen: Setting Up  
(Cyberspace And Crane Gymnastics)**

_Date: October 17, 2001_

"This is incredible," Trini said as she surveyed the very empty, yet very open for business Cyberspace Café. "I should have come up earlier to see it."

Cyberspace was fully operational, as was Kim's gym was also fully operational and even had a few students signed up.

"So, Kim, what exactly are you doing with Crane Gymnastics?" Tanya asked.

"Well, I'm offering a bunch of different levels of gymnastics training for starters," Kim said. "Then there's also the weight room which has exercise mats as well. There's a smaller room which can be used for dance lessons or step aerobics which I plan on teaching."

The former Rangers looked at one another while Kim looked at them in confusion. "Yup, it's official," Tommy said.

"This has become the Youth Center," Aisha said.

"Huh?" Hayley asked.

"No it's not," Kim said defensively. "The Youth Center was one building and it served food. There were classes for all sorts of things, like martial arts and dancing and step aerobics. Ernie had gymnastics equipment there and…" she trailed off. "Oh God. This really is turning into the Youth Center, isn't it?"

"Sis, I knew it was going to be the Youth Center the moment you started talking about things other than gymnastics," Jason said.

"I think it's cool Kim," Zack said. "We practically lived at the Youth Center in high school."

"That and the Command Center," Tommy added.

"But they're not connected," Rocky said. "So it's not quite the Youth Center."

"Well I think it's fantastic," Kim said.

"Don't get us wrong," Trini said. "It is fantastic. It's perfect for you. It's just the Youth Center."

"Sans the youth," Hayley said dryly from behind the counter.

"That is a good point," Tommy said.

"How about I sing?" Tanya asked. "I'm sure that would get people to come."

"It would," Hayley said. "But I'd consider that abusing a friendship."

"Not if she offered," Kim said innocently.

"And I'm offering," Tanya said.

"We'll be fine," Hayley said. "And technically the Grand Opening isn't until later this week."

"If you don't have customers next week I'm singing," Tanya said firmly.

The door opened and everyone tried their hardest not to look, but for the most part failed. A group of curious looking kids had come in. The kid in front was a somewhat short kid wearing blue.

"Hey, can I plug in here? My laptop died."

"Go right ahead," Hayley said. She smiled at Tanya. "See, no problems."

"Check this out man!" one kid said excitedly. "It's all state of the art equipment!"

The kid in blue glanced over in interest and grinned. "I think I like this place."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_You're actually doing this?" Jason asked. _

"_Yes," Tommy said. "Why does everyone seem to be so freaked out about this? It's just hair."_

"_But it's your trademark," Rocky said. "I mean, I've never even seen you with hair shorter than this except for pictures. And typically those pictures have you sporting a trendy mullet," Rocky grinned at Tommy, who returned the grin with a Green Ranger glare._

"_Okay, I'm all ready," Trini said, coming over with a video camera. _

"_Why are you taping this?" Tommy asked warily. _

"_Posterity. And Kat and Aisha want to be here for the historic event and can't make it," Trini said._


	19. Hair

Author's Notes: This one's a bit short too, but there are 2 guest appearances in it! And uh, I should probably say that I'm sorry that this took so long. Real life sort of kidnapped me and refused to let me go. But I've got up to chapter 25 written. Chapter 26 has a wedding (which is why I'm having trouble), but before you hyperventilate, it's not the couple you're thinking of. But you will find out who it is in the "Forever Red" saga. Which takes about 4 chapters.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Eighteen: Hair  
(Tommy Says Goodbye To A Friend)**

_Date: March 15, 2002_

"You're actually doing this?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Tommy said. "Why does everyone seem to be so freaked out about this? It's just hair."

"But it's your trademark," Rocky said. "I mean, I've never even seen you with hair shorter than this except for pictures. And typically those pictures have you sporting a trendy mullet," Rocky grinned at Tommy, who returned the grin with a Green Ranger glare.

"Okay, I'm all ready," Trini said, coming over with a video camera.

"Why are you taping this?" Tommy asked warily.

"Posterity. And Kat and Aisha want to be here for the historic event and can't make it," Trini said.

"Ashley'll want to see it when she gets back from KO-35," Cassie said.

"When was the last time you got more than two inches cut off?" Adam asked.

"…When I was thirteen," Tommy said.

The stylist looked at the group of adults crowded around her work station. "Okay, I get that this is a big and monumental moment for you guys, but can you back up a little so that I can get to work?"

"Sorry," Jason said.

"The camera can stay for future viewing," the stylist said. "Now, you're sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Tommy said for what felt like the fortieth time.

"I still don't understand," Xaren muttered.

"It's okay," Cassie said.

Tommy closed his eyes as the stylist came closer to his head with the scissors. "Scared, bro?" Jason teased.

"No, I'm tired of seeing you take such perverse glee out of a haircut," Tommy said.

"You guys always like this?" the stylist asked.

"Yes," the group chorused.

The stylist shook her head in amusement and snipped off Tommy's ponytail. Since he hadn't gotten a trim in the last six months, his hair was even longer than usual. In a gesture of kindness to his hair, he was donating it to locks of love.

"And goodbye to the hair," Jason said.

"Does this mean you're going back to the mullet?" Zack asked. "Because man, that was ugly even back in the early 90s."

"Can we please not discuss past hair styles?" Tommy asked in annoyance.

"Not gonna happen," Jason said.

"Didn't your mom show me a picture of you with a Mohawk once?" Kim asked.

"No," Tommy said.

"Maybe it was a fohawk," she mused.

"It was Halloween!" Tommy said as the stylist continued to shorten his hair.

"This is depressing," Hayley said.

"I know," Trini said. "I've never known Tommy with this little hair."

"I meant that it's sad that we're watching and taping this," Hayley said.

"See, if you'd been friends with us back when he had the mullet and then started to grow his hair out you'd understand," Jason said in a teasing, patronizing tone.

"I'm glad I wasn't friends with you all back then," Hayley said dryly. "From what they tell me you guys were a bunch of lunatics."

The doors opened and two very familiar voices could be heard.

"Hey Bulky look at that!"

"If it isn't the kids from high school!"

"Oh God this is _not_ happening," Tommy groaned.

"What are they doing?" Skull asked.

"I don't know, why don't you go find out!" Bulk said.

"Fine, I will," Skull said, marching over to the group. "What – Tommy's getting his _hair cut?!_"

"What?" Bulk demanded, marching over himself. "Oh, so you're getting rid of the girly hair?" There wasn't any malice or teasing in his tone, just pure curiosity.

"Can we please stop focusing on the hair?" Tommy asked, though it was closer to begging.

"Tommy feels that it's time to look more adult," Kim said.

"Only we're not adults," Zack said.

Tommy cringed as his friends, Bulk, and Skull continued to talk about him and his hair like he wasn't even there. Bulk and Skull were incredibly confused by the entire thing and became even more confused once they realized that Trini was taping the entire ordeal. The stylist just continued happily, snickering every once in a while at a comment someone made.

"There you go," she said. "All done."

Tommy finally opened his eyes and stared at his new self. Well, he definitely looked different. Not bad, but different. It would take some getting used to. But washing his hair would take much, much less time now.

"You look bald in comparison," Rocky said.

"Oh shut up," Kim said. "I think he looks hot." Tommy grinned even as the others groaned in disgust. "And that is all that matters." She frowned thoughtfully. "Can we go surprise your brother now?"

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_Hello. I need to speak to Captain Mitchell. Now," Trini said. "No, I don't care if he's in a meeting. Tell him that this is incredibly important and that the original Rangers are going to find him and kick his ass if he doesn't call me back. No! I don't care! I need to speak to Captain Mitchell! Now!" Jason stared in shock as his usually docile girlfriend actually growled at the person on the other end of the phone. "Fine. If I can't speak to Captain Mitchell, can I speak to Carter Grayson? Dana Mitchell? Ryan Mitchell? Anyone on the God forsaken Lightspeed Rescue team? No? Well, tell them that Trini Kwan wants to kill them if they don't call back." She slammed the phone down in the cradle and Jason winced._


	20. Island Go BOOOOOOM!

Author's Note: I apologize for not updating for so long. If you can believe it, my dad stole my laptop to get me to clean my room. I'm 19 and he feels he has to resort to that. And then he lost the computer and I only just found it. But here it is anyways.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Nineteen: Island Go BOOOOOOM!  
(And Tommy's Dead. NOT!)**

_Date: September 12, 2002 _

"Hello. I need to speak to Captain Mitchell. Now," Trini said. "No, I don't care if he's in a meeting. Tell him that this is incredibly important and that the original Rangers are going to find him and kick his ass if he doesn't call me back. No! I don't care! I need to speak to Captain Mitchell! Now!" Jason stared in shock as his usually docile girlfriend actually growled at the person on the other end of the phone. "Fine. If I can't speak to Captain Mitchell, can I speak to Carter Grayson? Dana Mitchell? Ryan Mitchell? Anyone on the God forsaken Lightspeed Rescue team? No? Well, tell them that Trini Kwan wants to kill them if they don't call back." She slammed the phone down in the cradle and Jason winced.

"Trini, it'll be fine. This is Tommy we're talking about," he said. "The man's practically indestructible."

"You didn't see Kim's face when it happened, Jason," Trini said desperately. "She went completely white. If Tommy's not dead I'm going to kill him myself for making her worry like this."

"Why don't I try calling?" Jason asked. Just in case Lightspeed had caller ID he pulled out his cell phone and put it on speaker phone before dialing.

"_Hello, this is Lightspeed Rescue switchboard,"_ a cheery woman said on the other end.

"Hi, I was wondering if I could speak to Captain Mitchell."

"_I'm sorry, but he's in a meeting at the moment. I can leave him a message if you like."_

"My name's Jason Scott. I should be on the list to put through no matter what," Jason said.

"_Give me one second to check."_

The dreaded elevator music came on, though only for a minute.

"_I'm sorry, you're not on that list. I can leave him a message if you'd like."_

"I should be on the list but that's all right. If you could tell him that Doctor Thomas Oliver is missing and that we need Captain Mitchell's help to find him. If Carter Grayson, Dana Mitchell, Ryan Mitchell, Joel or Angela Rawlings, Kelsey Winslow, or Chad Drake are available for contact please relay the message to them as well."

"_Well, you're a lot nicer than the girl that called for that before."_

"I'm still here!" Trini bellowed suddenly, making Jason jump. "And you secretary lady need to realize that the idiotic island he was on exploded therefore making him quite possibly dead and I _really, really, really, really_ need Captain Mitchell to find him!"

The line went dead and Trini growled and stalked off.

*****

It was two hours later when Captain Mitchell called Jason back, apologizing profusely and assuring Jason that he was going to double check the magic list that let someone get through no matter what.

"I'll mobilize as many teams as possible. Do you know the location of the island?" Captain Mitchell asked.

"No," Jason sighed. "We just know it's down in the vicinity of Hawaii somewhere. I don't even know if Tommy knew the location of it."

"I don't know how much help that's going to be, but we'll find him," Captain Mitchell said. "I'll get the team on it right away."

"Thanks," Jason said and the two hung up. Jason leaned against the wall, taking a steadying breath. If Tommy was actually dead there would have been far greater repercussions throughout the Morphing Grid than the one they had felt.

It had been nothing like when Kendrix died. With Kendrix, everyone felt her death, and all of the Reds felt Leo's anguish at losing the woman he loved, even if he hadn't realized it until just then. Everything was Pink and Red and chaotic. Everyone knew something had happened, but not everyone realized just what it had been.

With Tommy, there were flashes of Green and White and Red, like the different aspects of him were trying to gain control, trying to determine what to do in the situation. It wasn't a swift or quick blow to them, but almost like Tommy was running on pure adrenaline, trying to get out of the explosion before it was too late, not that they'd known what was happening at the time.

Then, suddenly, all of that was gone.

It was more the absence of Tommy that tore at them than anything else. It was another example of just how little they actually understood the Morphing Grid. Yeah, it connected them all and allowed them to magically don fake spandex, but clearly it was doing something else to all of them interpersonally.

It was nice to be connected to one another, yet in cases like this and with Kendrix it was a terrifying concept.

*****

To say that Kimberly Ann Hart was worried was a gross understatement. Yes, her boyfriend had frequently gotten himself out of scrapes before, but he had never vanished into thin air. Tommy was now charting new territory on the scale of crazy stunts. The level up from that would be getting himself blown up, which thankfully didn't seem like it would ever happen. Well, not unless he became a Ranger again.

Nobody knew where he was, nobody could contact the Lightspeed guys as far as she knew, Andros and Ashley were on their way with Zhane and Karone from KO-35, Cassie and Xaren were using Xaren's ship to scour the oceans in a 4,000 mile radius of Hawaii, and apparently Tommy had left his Zeonizer at home.

None of the "Blues" in her life – including Hayley _and_ Cam Wantanabe – could find a trace of Tommy on any computer equipment. She had called her sister almost immediately after she had found out and Laura said she shoved Cam into the underground "In Case of Emergencies" lair/hidey house to find as much information as he could.

So far, there was nothing.

And it was terrifying.

*****

Dana Mitchell had never met the illustrious Thomas Oliver in person, but she had heard quite a lot about him. Her father thought highly of him and once Carter had become the Red Ranger, he had begun researching about the previous teams. He wouldn't admit it, but Carter idolized Tommy a bit. She was fairly certain quite a number of the Rangers out there idolized him. He had been in the suit the longest, led the most teams, and seemingly had his happily-ever-after despite the minor hiccup. Now, however, his fairytale life with Kimberly Hart seemed to be crashing down around the two.

Tommy had been doing a research project with Anton Mercer on some remote island. Nobody knew where it was or what the two had been doing on the island. Suddenly there had been chaotic flashes of light in their minds which had actually made Dana think she was going crazy until she realized that Ryan was also unnaturally still with a wide, panicked look on his face.

"What the hell was that?" her brother had asked, but she didn't have an answer for him.

Now she knew it was Tommy Oliver disappearing off of the Morphing Grid. The formers said that when Kendrix Morgan had died it hadn't felt like that, but she still had to wonder.

"Dana, you all right?" Carter asked from behind her.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," she told him. "Just lost in my thoughts."

Carter eyed his former teammate and girlfriend. "You sure?"

"I'm fine, Carter," she said, smiling. "I'm just worried."

"Everybody's worried," Carter said.

"Anybody found anything yet?" she asked.

"Kelsey and Ryan, uh, they found what looks like the smoking ruins of an island," Carter said.

"Ruins of an island?" Dana asked curiously.

"Yeah, they took some pictures," Carter said, handing over a manila folder. Inside were pictures of what used to be a tropical island. There seemed to be part of a building on it. More detailed pictures revealed that the building seemed to have an extensive underground system as well. Over all, the island looked as if someone had taken an extremely large backhoe to it.

"Are we sure this is where Tommy was?" Dana asked.

"We're fairly positive," Carter said.

"Where is it?"

"About ten minutes from here at the top speed. We're on our way to see if we can find him."

*****

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Kimberly said into the phone. "Not only did the lunatic do something stupid like leaving his Zeonizer at home, the island he was on _exploded_?"

"That's what it seems to look like," Dana said on the other end of the phone. "So far we haven't found anyone, well anything, remotely human. He could have gotten off of the island before the explosion actually occurred."

"What do you mean, anything remotely human?" Kimberly asked warily. She wasn't exactly sure what Tommy and Mercer had been working on, but she knew some vague details.

"They're almost like dinosaurs," Dana said. "But they're also like the minions the baddies send out. We're not quite sure what to make of them."

Well crap. Clearly Tommy's research had gone wrong on multiple levels.

"And you're sure nobody's on the island. Because Anton Mercer was there too," Kim said.

"We haven't found anyone," Dana said. "I'm so sorry."

Kim took a deep breath and said, "He's not gone. I'd know if he was. I just don't know where he is."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

_Tommy Oliver was pissed as hell. Actually, pissed wasn't a strong enough word. He couldn't decide what word was strong enough as his brain was not working correctly. He hadn't slept much on the island to start with and getting blown up and having to find your own stinking way home really wasn't all that helpful. He had come up with the idea for Tyrannodrones, but they had quickly become quite creepy, reminding him of the Putties and Tengas that Lord Zedd and Rita had sent down years prior. And sadly it seemed that his good intentioned idea had indeed become the minion for a new baddie, whoever Mesagog was. _


	21. A Very, Very Annoyed Pink Ranger

Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews everybody! I do read them all even if I don't respond to them. And the overall plot of all of the shows up through and including Jungle Fury will be maintained. Mesagog's plans are exactly what they are on the show excepting a few minor (and one major) changes. Everything (and I mean everything) that happens on the show will happen in the story. I may not be writing about it, but it will be mentioned at least once. The only major change is one that vaguely pertains to SPD and Sky. If you want to go ahead and guess what it is, do so. I'll tell you if you're right. It makes me smile thinking about it. Oh, and you get a glimpse of _part_ of the change in the Dino Thunder saga.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Twenty: A Very, Very Annoyed Pink Ranger  
(Because Her Boyfriend Did Not Inform Her That He Was Not Blown Into  
A Million Gagillion Pieces)**

_Date: September 13, 2002_

Tommy Oliver was pissed as hell. Actually, pissed wasn't a strong enough word. He couldn't decide what word was strong enough as his brain was not working correctly. He hadn't slept much on the island to start with and getting blown up and having to find your own stinking way home really wasn't all that helpful. He had come up with the idea for Tyrannodrones, but they had quickly become quite creepy, reminding him of the Putties and Tengas that Lord Zedd and Rita had sent down years prior. And sadly it seemed that his good intentioned idea had indeed become the minion for a new baddie, whoever Mesagog was.

Mesagog seemed to have vanished though and Tommy fervently hoped that he had been destroyed in the explosion. As far as he could tell, Mercer had vanished shortly before Mesagog appeared. Hopefully that didn't mean that Mercer had been killed. He was a good man who had done a lot for Tommy over the years since college and grad school.

But then the island blew up.

Well, actually first the Tyrannodrones appeared as the island was rumbling in the pre – explosion tremors and _then_ it exploded as he jumped into the ocean.

Yeah, so Tommy Oliver was not a happy man.

Trying to swim in the ocean when you're terrified that the Tyrannodrones that you've created are going to try and attack you and sharks are going to try to eat you because you're bleeding is not easy. Nor is it fun. Then there's the added problem of, how the hell are you going to get back to California? Though honestly, he'd have taken Hawaii at that point.

But for some reason, somehow – perhaps the lingering traces of Zordon in the universe? – his Dragonzord had appeared, much like Godzilla did in the movies. He clambered into it and made his way to the cockpit, his fingers tracing the walls reverently. He sat, sopping wet, in the cockpit for a few moments before he touched the controls and headed towards California, home, and Kim.

The trip took far shorter than he would have liked considering the fact that he was in the one Zord he missed the most. But truthfully, he would give up having the Dragonzord to get home to Kim.

Which was exactly what he was trying to do at the moment. He'd headed to the first bus station he could in whatever town he'd landed in, forcing the cashier to take his incredibly soggy cash. He hadn't figured on needing any money while on the island actually, so he was lucky he had anything in his wallet at all.

He'd been trying for one ticket to Reefside, but he'd ended up having to travel through about seven different towns before reaching home. And once he'd actually reached Reefside, he then had to figure out how exactly to get to his house, which prompted another bus ride. The bus only dropped him off at the edge of the woods where he and Kim lived, rather than the actual house. By then, he was extremely tired and all he wanted was to get into the house and take a long nap – though honestly since it was almost eleven it really wasn't actually a nap – after finding Kim. After he slept for at least nine hours he was going to tell her everything that happened. Because honestly, this was hopefully going to be highly amusing after he slept. Or after a few days. Or something.

God he needed sleep. Or caffeine. Or sleep and then caffeine.

He got to the house and noticed that Kim's car was there, but since the lights were all off, she was asleep. The front door was locked, which was unusual, so he fumbled in the dark for the spare key before going into the house. He began peeling clothes off almost as soon as he was inside, leaving a trail of them up to the bedroom. He collapsed face first into the bed and was asleep almost instantly.

He had no clue how much later it was when he was woken up by a scream.

"Wazhapenin?" he mumbled blearily, raising his head.

Kim stood in the doorway, framed by the light from the hallway, her hands clasped over her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked.

"You're not dead," Kim said through her hands.

"Uh, no," Tommy said, bewildered. "Why would I be dead?"

"The island blew up," Kim said.

"You knew about that?" Tommy asked curiously.

Kim's eyes narrowed and her hands fell from her face to land on her hips. "I'm going to _kill_ you!" she shrieked, leaping towards the bed and jumping on him.

**********

Trini and Jason heard the scream and bolted inside the house, racing up the stairs.

"I'm going to _kill_ you!"

Jason and Trini exchanged a worried glance and burst into the bedroom, but stopped short. Tommy lay on the bed, arms over his face as Kim pummeled him.

"You're not dead," was all that Jason managed to say.

"Jason? Jase! Save me! I don't even know what the hell I did!" Tommy yelped from beneath Kim.

"You got blown up!" Trini said.

"I got what?" Tommy asked. "Kim! Stop it!"

"The island you and Mercer were on blew up!" Jason said.

"We've been looking for you for hours!" Trini continued.

"More than that," Jason murmured.

"I didn't get blown up!" Tommy said.

"Clearly! But you didn't think to call?! Or let _somebody_ know that you weren't dead? Do you have any idea how worried I was when I felt you just blip of the Morphing Grid radar?" Kim shouted.

"Wait—what?" Tommy asked incredulously.

"You remember when Kendrix died?" Trini asked.

"Yes-ow! Stop it!"

"Well, you got all crazy and colorful and then you're just gone," Trini finished.

"So you knew something happened?" Tommy asked, flipping Kim over and pinning her hands down. He looked up at Jason and Trini. "But what happened?"

"I called the Lightspeed guys," Jason said. "They helped us look for you. And Cam Wantanabe hacked into some government site and used their satellites to find out where you were island wise. And it was exploded."

"So we had to go and find you even thought we knew you were alive but we didn't know exactly where you were. Or we weren't really sure that you weren't dead. It was very confusing," Trini said.

"I hate you," Kim spit out.

"You do not," Tommy said. "Now Jase, Trini, tell the others I'm fine, would you? I'll call everyone in the morning. At the moment I need to talk to Kim and get some sleep."

"Okay," Trini said, pulling Jason out of the room.

"We need to talk," Tommy said, looking down at Kim.

"You suck. I hate you and I wish you had gotten all exploded," she said.

"No you don't," Tommy repeated. "And I'm sorry I worried you, I really am. I didn't know that you felt it and I wasn't thinking clearly when it happened. I was insanely freaked that the Tyrannodrones were going to kill me and I was bleeding so I was also freaked that sharks were going to eat me. And then I was in the middle of the ocean so I didn't know how to get back home."

Kim stared at him silently for a moment. "How _did _you get home?"

"Dragonzord."

"I'm sorry, I thought you said Dragonzord."

"I did," Tommy said. "Dragonzord appeared and he brought me home."

"Wait, what?" Kim asked, startled.

"You heard me," Tommy said. "After Dragonzord brought me to California I hopped about four buses to get to Reefside and then another one to get to the house. I didn't know that you guys knew what was going on. If I had, I would have called you. My phone got trashed in the ocean and it's probably somewhere in Dragonzord now. I'm really sorry I worried you."

"You didn't know?" Kim asked.

"No idea," Tommy said.

"I'm still mad at you. And I'm going to be mad for a while," Kim said. "But I'm glad you're fine."

"Can we sleep now? Because I'm beyond exhausted," Tommy said.

"Fine," Kim said. "But you'll kind of have to get off of me."

Tommy grinned and rolled off of Kim, pulling her to his side and closing his eyes. "Ow!" he yelped as Kim pulled her elbow back into his gut.

"Payback's a bitch," Kim said.

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_I'm going to kill Hayley," Tommy growled. _

"_That's not nice," Kim said, though she didn't sound convinced. "It could be fun."_

"_I doubt that," Tommy said. "She's never organizing a surprise vacation for us again."_

"_She meant well," Kim told him. "How could she know what Bulk's full name is? We never told her."_

"_Doesn't mean it's going to be a fun vacation," Tommy said through gritted teeth. _

"_Come on, let's go," Kimberly said, linking her arm through Tommy's. _

"_Oh God I'm going to die," Tommy groaned as they walked in the front doors of Club Bulkmeier's. _

**********

Author's Note .2: If you have any questions about what's going to happen in the future of the story, go ahead and drop me a review. If you have any guesses about what's going to change, drop me a review. If you're right I might just be letting you know.

And I'm incredibly sorry about the delay. My mom's having powercord problems and I've got the only powercord in the house that works with her laptop. So we've been trading off (aka she's been stealing it). Tomorrow she's going to call Dell and hopefully she'll have one soon. And you _will_ be getting an update on Friday. I promise.


	22. Club Bulkmeier's

Author's Note: This chapter begins the incredibly long "Forever Red" saga. I'm changing up some details in the story as it didn't make sense (such as the Zeos destroying the Machine Empire and only the Reds going.) Overall it's still our favorite crack episode of amazing Red love.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Twenty-One: Club Bulkmeier  
(Hayley Never Gets To Organize A Vacation Again)**

_Date: October 5, 2002_

"I'm going to kill Hayley," Tommy growled.

"That's not nice," Kim said, though she didn't sound convinced. "It could be fun."

"I doubt that," Tommy said. "She's never organizing a surprise vacation for us again."

"She meant well," Kim told him. "How could she know what Bulk's full name is? We never told her."

"Doesn't mean it's going to be a fun vacation," Tommy said through gritted teeth.

"Come on, let's go," Kimberly said, linking her arm through Tommy's.

"Oh God I'm going to die," Tommy groaned as they walked in the front doors of _Club Bulkmeier's_.

**********

"Why, I even once met Lord Zedd and Rita!" Bulk said as he stared at the chess board of Astro Rangers and Psycho Rangers. Neither he nor Skull actually knew how to play chess.

"Really?" Skull asked, sounding interested before his voice became annoyed. "So did I."

The phone rang then, saving Bulk from having to make a retort. Both Bulk and Skull ran for the phone, but Bulk shoved Skull out of his way, causing the skinnier man to fall into the pool.

"Bulkmeier's, Bulk speaking," he answered. He paused, his smile fading. "Just a moment."

Skull climbed up out of the pool and the two of them approached Tommy, who was reading a newspaper in a lounge chair while waiting for Kim.

"Are you sure we should bother him?" Skull whispered.

"It sounded important," Bulk said. He tapped Tommy on the shoulder. "Uh, sir? You have a ph-phone call."

Tommy reached up, internally grinning at the fear in Bulk's voice. Glaring like nobody's business when he and Kim walked in clearly had been a good idea. "Hello?" he asked into the phone.

"Is this Thomas Oliver?" a firm voice asked.

"Yes," Tommy said, somewhat bewildered.

"Andros gave us your name," the voice said. Tommy wanted to groan. That wasn't a good sign. "We have a mission for you."

"What's it entail?" he asked warily.

"We believe that — you are alone, aren't you?"

"Yes," Tommy said slowly, glancing around the pool area casually.

"Good. We believe that Serpentera has been unearthed on the moon."

"Where'd you get this information?" Tommy asked, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Andros has been covertly observing the digging operations on the moon."

Oh, Andros was going to be in very big trouble with his fiancé when that got loose. "I see, and you need my help because?"

"We want as little commotion as possible. Andros has said that you'd be the one to get the job done. We can procure transportation for you so that you can arrive quickly. You and Andros will go to the moon."

"Alone?" Tommy yelped, drawing unwanted stares from the few guests, Bulk, and Skull. "You can't be serious," he said in a far quieter tone.

"Quite. The fewer people involved in this the better."

Tommy sighed. "You can't expect the two of us to do this single handedly. It's just not possible. I mean, we barely were able to do anything and I had a whole team with me."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone line. "How many would you need?"

Tommy mentally calculated how many Rangers had their powers still. Jason, Zack, and Trini had the original Mighty Morphin Powers, Kim and Aisha had their Ninjetti Powers as did Billy, the Zeo Powers still worked, Turbo was still a little weird with the Power Chamber being gone and all, meaning Justin was out, the Astros still had theirs, Xaren had his, the Galactic guys did but who knew how long it would take for them to show up, the Aquitar Rangers presumably did, as did Trey, Lightspeed Rescue still did, Cole and Wes did, and then there was that new team of Wild Force Rangers.

"It would probably be best to have all 47 of us," Tommy said, feeling sorry about leaving Karone and Justin out. They were the only two former Rangers that didn't have any powers. Karone's power as Astronema came from the technology in her staff and since Kendrix was back, the Pink Galactic Power had reverted back to its original owner. Justin's Turbo powers vanished when the Power Chamber had to a degree. He could still morph, but a lot of his weapons weren't able to be called upon.

"47?!" the man on the phone exploded, causing Tommy to wince. "You must be out of your mind. 47 of you can't go to the moon! Do you have any idea what kind of backlash that would have on NASADA?"

Ah, so that's why they were being so pissy. If this had been Lightspeed Rescue, it would have been a lot easier.

"Honestly, that's the only safe amount to bring. If we bring any less we run the risk of getting our butts kicked," Tommy said.

"You can't possibly believe that."

"Have you seen Serpentera? The thing's massive," Tommy said.

"Why can't you just bring…one color? Reds?"

"And have the girls kill us for excluding them? I don't think so," Tommy said.

"We can't possibly allow 47 Rangers to go to the moon. We don't want the population of the Earth to know what's going on."

Clearly not.

Tommy thought over the idea of bringing just the Reds. Andros could contact Leo and Aurico, and maybe tell Trey that he might be needed if the whole thing went down badly. He wasn't sure where Jason was as he'd said something about vacations, and Rocky was in Africa with Aisha at the moment so he probably couldn't be contacted. Oh this was going to be messy when the others found out. To offset the loss of Rocky and the potential loss of Jason the new Red Ranger could come. Tommy had yet to meet him, but Wes and Eric had said he was a good Ranger.

The idea of bringing just Reds along was insane. The girls – as well as the Greens, Blacks, and Blues – would kill them when they found out. But the Reds were supposedly the strongest when it came to fighting and the majority of them still had access to their Battilizers. And without the girls … well, there wouldn't be any distractions from trying to save them from harm.

But then someone would have to save the Reds from harm. There was a chance this whole thing could be covered up … but if Trini wanted to know where her boyfriend went she could hack into any database. Kim could get Cam Wantanabe to do it for her and Justin, well Justin was brilliant. And then there was Hayley. Oh this was not going to be good.

But he could call TJ and Zhane and ask them to get some of the formers ready in case all of this went wrong. Justin could help too, but calling Xaren was a bad idea. It was impossible for the alien to keep anything from the love of his life. Well, none of the guys could actually, but that was beside the point.

If TJ, Zhane, Justin, Trey, the Aquatians, and Billy were all aware of the fact that things might go very, very wrong then things wouldn't necessarily end up with world domination thanks to Serpentera and whoever was trying to dig it up. They could all tell the girls and the others exactly what was going on and _they_ could be the ones to get the brunt of the immediate anger.

Oh yeah. Tommy liked that idea a whole lot better.

"All right," Tommy said, part of him unable to believe exactly what he was about to say next. "Nine Reds."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Fine," the voice said grudgingly. "Will you need transportation?"

"No," Tommy said. If he took the car, then Kim would have to wait for somebody to show up to get her. "I'll come on my own."

"Andros is going to give you the details now," the voice said.

There was a brief pause and Andros said, "Tommy?"

"Are you crazy?" Tommy hissed at him. "This is suicide!"

"What?" Andros asked.

"They don't want to bring everyone," Tommy said. "They think it'll cause too much noise. So we're only allowed to bring nine Reds."

"Nine? There's ten of us," Andros said.

"Rocky's in Africa with Aisha and really shouldn't be doing anything to intense with his back and TJ doesn't have them anymore. And we should bring in Aurico and Leo," Tommy said.

"Didn't we tell you?" Andros asked in surprise. "We managed to recharge the Turbo powers. We found some device on a planet that recharged all of them. So TJ's good. All of them are actually."

"Really?" Tommy asked in surprise. "And no, you didn't tell me that. So ten instead of nine. They can all deal."

"Uh, are we telling the girls?" Andros asked.

"Did you tell Ashley you were doing recon?" Tommy asked dryly.

"… No …" Andros said slowly.

"So no, we're not telling the girls," Tommy said. "We should tell Justin though. And I'll call Rocky to let him know. Just in case this whole thing blows up in our faces. Does Zhane know?"

"Yeah. Just Zhane and NASADA though," Andros said.

"So we bring in Leo and Aurico, who'll alert his team and Billy," Tommy said, glancing over at Bulk and Skull. The two were trying to listen in on the conversation without seeming to listen in on the conversation. Great.

"And they'll have to tell the girls?" Andros asked.

"Yeah, now you get it," Tommy said.

"What about Xaren?" Andros asked.

"Do you remember the surprise party he had planned for Cassie?" Tommy asked.

"Ah. Yeah. He did tell everyone about that, didn't he?" Andros asked.

"Yeah. So we're going to let them deal with telling all of the others about the trip," Tommy said. "You get TJ, Leo, Aurico, Wes, and Eric. I'll take Jason, Rocky, Justin, Carter, and Cole. That all right?"

"That's fine. What are you going to do about Kim?" Andros asked.

"Uh…Run now," Tommy said, glancing around. "Meet you at NASADA?"

"Yeah. We're using the Astro Megaship II," Andros said. "Good luck evading your girlfriend."

"How are _you_ going to do it?" Tommy asked.

"Oh, Zhane and I are sending the girls down to Earth to stay with Cassie and Xaren. Should I tell Carlos?" Andros asked.

"Think he can keep it from the others?" Tommy asked him.

"Uh, probably."

"Then go ahead. Just tell him not to tell the girls at all. Or we all die," Tommy said. "All right, I've got to go now before Kim comes down to the pool. How'd you get this number anyways?"

"I called Hayley since your cell's turned off," Andros told him. "Okay, go run away from your girlfriend."

"I'm so going to die," Tommy sighed.

"I think we all are if we can't keep this under wraps," Andros said.

"See you later," Tommy said.

"See you."

Tommy hung up the phone and glanced around quickly. Kim was nowhere to be seen. Good. He walked over to Bulk and Skull, who cowered a slight bit before saying, "Yes?"

"Thanks for the phone," Tommy said, handing it to them. "Tell Kim I had to go take care of something and that I'm not quite sure when I'll be back."

"Okay," Skull said slowly. "Where are you going?"

"I have no idea," Tommy sighed as he turned. He headed for the car quickly, thankful that he had forgotten to bring his cell phone into the "resort" with him when he and Kim checked in and that he had brought the car keys down to the pool with him.

He hopped into the car, punching in Jason's cell number as he started the car. Straight to voicemail. "Hey Jase, you really, really need to call me back. Andros has gotten us all in trouble. And by 'us' I mean the Reds. He's been doing recon on the moon and apparently somebody's digging up Serpentera. So the Reds are coming. Well, the Reds minus Rocky. Because Rocky shouldn't be going on any missions that could get us killed because of his back. And TJ's coming. But you need to come too. We're meeting at NASADA as soon as we can. Seriously, call me and come. But don't tell Trini. Because I didn't tell Kim and we're sort of keeping this a secret from all of the girls. Come." Tommy hung up as he pulled out of the parking lot.

He dialed another number and hoped that the person on the other end would pick up.

"Tommy?"

"Rocky! You have cell service! I wonder how much the bill will be for this call," Tommy mused.

"Are you okay?" Rocky asked slowly.

"No. And you'll see why in a second. Are you around Aisha?"

"She's out for the minute. What's going on?" Rocky said.

"Andros has been doing recon on the moon without telling Ashley. Somebody's trying to dig up Serpentera. And he told NASADA that I should lead the mission or something, which is crazy. But they won't let me bring in everyone, which is really what's safe. I want to bring us all, but _nooo_ they won't let me."

"You haven't told Kim, have you?" Rocky asked.

"No. And Hayley sent us to Bulk and Skull's hotel."

"Ouch," Rocky said. "You're staying somewhere that they run?"

"Sadly. But I ditched Kim and I'm heading towards NASADA now. They want to leave immediately."

"I take it you're not calling to invite me?" Rocky said.

"No. And I would, believe me I would," Tommy said. "But you're in Africa and they want to go now. And I need people here to be ready to haul in the others when this goes badly. Because I'm pretty sure it will."

"You just want us to get the brunt of the girls' reactions, don't you?" Rocky asked.

"…No…" Tommy said.

"Fine. Who else is getting told?" Rocky asked.

"Justin and Carlos. Xaren's out because the man can't keep anything from Cassie to save his life, which in this case it might if he tells her," Tommy said. "And Zhane already knows because apparently Andros can't keep anything from him."

"You get really frazzled when you're lying to Kim," Rocky said.

"Shut up," Tommy said. "You all right with this?"

"It'll be fine," Rocky said. "Though you owe me."

"I know," Tommy said.

"Good luck. And honestly, I hope you can keep it from the girls," Rocky said.

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"The moon?" Cole asked. "So how are we gonna get there to stop them?"

"_In this," Andros said. He clicked a button on a small remote and the lights in the back of the warehouse turned on, revealing his ship. "I present The Astro Megaship Mark II." The others (sans Tommy) looked in surprise and Cole looked at it in flat out astonishment. "It's the fastest space-ship in the galaxy."_

"_I thought Xaren's was faster," TJ said. "And how'd you get Ashley off of it?"_

"_Xaren's is not faster," Andros said firmly. "And Ashley's with Cassie, Xaren, and Carlos at Cassie and Xaren's place."_

"_Guys," Tommy interrupted. "This is going to be a very dangerous mission, but I can't force you to go. I know everyone but Cole's had this explained to them in detail, and I'm glad you made it, but this is your decision. Frankly, I'm pretty sure it's going to be impossible for all of us to manage to win this battle, which is why I've alerted Carlos, Justin, and Rocky about this even though they aren't coming along. If you want to hang back and be a part of the second wave that I'm sure we're going to need, that's fine. And I know most of you said yes already, but I'm giving you a chance to back out, no questions asked."_


	23. Meet and Greet

Author's Note: And so "Forever Red" continues. And will continue for quite some time actually.

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Meet And Greet  
(Meeting the Red Rangers – And Hoping The Girls Don't Find Out)**

_Date: October 5, 2002_

Justin hadn't exactly taken the idea of staying behind to deal with the girls very well, so Tommy had told him to blame Rocky or Carlos, hoping to appease the teen. Justin said that he'd rather blame Andros as Andros had a fiancé to deal with and he was the one who had been doing recon in the first place.

Carter was next on the call list. He wasn't too keen on the idea of not letting the rest of his team know what was going on either. He and Tommy came to a compromise on telling Captain Mitchell. He also volunteered to go and get Cole, which cut down on Tommy's calling time.

Now all he had to do was get to the NASADA base before they left. And see if he could get Jason on the phone.

**********

Carter's jeep pulled into the large warehouse where a black SUV was parked, Wes and Eric visible through the windshield. The two got out of the car as Cole jogged over.

"Wes, Eric."

"It's good to see you again," Wes grinned.

"What are you guys doing here?" Cole asked.

"Well," Eric said, taking off his sunglasses. "We got a call that said meet here at the NASADA spaceport."

"I see you've already met the Silver Guardians," Carter said as he walked over. "Wes, Eric. Nice to see you again."

"You too," Eric said.

"Didn't think to see anyone until the wedding," Wes said.

"Hey guys," a tall man called as he jogged over from a parked red car.

"This is Theodore J Jarvis Johnson. We're not quite sure what the first J stands for," Carter told Cole.

"Just call me TJ," he laughed, shaking Cole's hand. The sound of a teleporter could be heard and TJ said, "And that is Andros Darkover, the Red Space Ranger."

Andros walked over to them. "Thanks for coming all of the way from Turtle Cove, Cole," he said.

"You guys were all Red Rangers too?" Cole asked. "What's going on?"

"I called a veteran Ranger who assembled our team," Andros said. "He's our leader for this mission."

"Leader?" Cole asked curiously. They all turned as Tommy walked in, stopping and nodding at them. "Who's that?" Cole frowned.

"That's Tommy," TJ laughed. "He's the Red Zeo Power Ranger. Amongst other things."

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Tommy said.

"What's going on?" Wes asked. "Andros said it was urgent."

"And it is," Tommy said. "Andros has recently been doing some recon on the moon. He can explain more about that later seeing as none of us were informed of it." Andros had the decency to look abashed even though everyone was focused on Tommy. "The Machine Empire is trying to dig up Serpentera."

"But I thought the Zeo Rangers destroyed them years ago," TJ frowned.

"No. Rita and Zedd drove them off and Zordon destroyed them when he died," Tommy explained. "As we've seen in the past, some villains that range from low level minions to high ranking generals survived the blast. Some generals from the Machine Empire survived as it turns out. They've been hiding all these years, but now they are amassing their forces on the moon to invade Earth."

"The moon?" Cole asked. "So how are we gonna get there to stop them?"

"In this," Andros said. He clicked a button on a small remote and the lights in the back of the warehouse turned on, revealing his ship. "I present _The Astro Megaship Mark II_." The others (sans Tommy) looked in surprise and Cole looked at it in flat out astonishment. "It's the fastest space-ship in the galaxy."

"I thought Xaren's was faster," TJ said. "And how'd you get Ashley off of it?"

"Xaren's is _not_ faster," Andros said firmly. "And Ashley's with Cassie, Xaren, and Carlos at Cassie and Xaren's place."

"Guys," Tommy interrupted. "This is going to be a very dangerous mission, but I can't force you to go. I know everyone but Cole's had this explained to them in detail, and I'm glad you made it, but this is your decision. Frankly, I'm pretty sure it's going to be impossible for all of us to manage to win this battle, which is why I've alerted Carlos, Justin, and Rocky about this even though they aren't coming along. If you want to hang back and be a part of the second wave that I'm sure we're going to need, that's fine. And I know most of you said yes already, but I'm giving you a chance to back out, no questions asked."

"I don't know much about spaceships," Cole said, "or this Machine Empire. But I will go wherever I must to protect the Earth."

"Sam goes for us," Wes said, jerking his head at Eric.

"Count me in," Carter said.

"It's not even a question," TJ grinned.

"Then it's settled," Andros said.

"Then let's go," Tommy said.

"Wait," Andros said. "What about…"

"I was hoping he'd show up," Tommy said, looking down. "But I guess he couldn't make it. I never got through to him, just left a bunch of messages. We'll have to go on without him."

Cole cocked his head, hearing something outside. "Guys!" he said, running off. The others exchanged a quick glance with one another before running after him.

A motorcycle pulled up and a man got off. He took off his helmet and Tommy grinned. "Jason."

"You guys weren't going to do this without me, were you?" Jason asked. He walked over to Cole. "So you must be the new guy."

"I'm Cole," he grinned.

"Good," Jason said, patting his shoulder and heading down the line. "I recognize some of you, some of you more than others." He stopped at Tommy.

Tommy grinned. "I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all."

"You didn't think I'd let you do this without the original Red Ranger, did you?" Jason asked. The two best friends smiled and clasped hands like old times.

The Rangers turned and headed towards the ASM2. "So why didn't you answer your cell?" Tommy asked Jason.

"Trini and I were out at a movie and I had it on silent," Jason explained. "So imagine my surprise when we get out and I've got nearly twenty messages from you telling me to get my ass down to NASADA to save the world from the Machine Empire."

"I didn't leave twenty messages," Tommy said.

"Yes you did. And aren't you supposed to be on vacation with Kim?" Jason asked.

"You're on vacation?" Wes asked.

"And you left Kim behind?" Eric asked.

"Hey, I would have brought all of the teams – and I mean all of them – but the NASADA guys freaked. And they really don't like the idea of this many of us going," Tommy said. "I tried to tell them it would take all of us to do this quickly and quietly, but they thought that taking all of us would bring a little too much attention to the news."

"So we're lying to our girlfriends and teammates because NASADA doesn't want us all here?" Carter asked.

"Whoa, who said anything about lying?" Eric asked.

"Well you two are the only members of your team in this century," Jason said. "And come on, would you really want Jen and Katie to know that they wouldn't be allowed to come on a mission if they were here?"

"Okay, that's a good point," Wes said.

By now the Red Rangers had reached the ship. "Let's discuss what's going on inside," Andros suggested.

"Out of curiosity, who's getting married?" Cole asked.

"I am," Andros said.

"Does your fiancé know about this?" Cole asked.

"Not really," Andros said. "And hopefully she never will."

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"What would they want on the moon?" Wes asked.

"Serpentera," Jason said.

"I already told you that like seven times on the phone, so don't sound so smug," Tommy said. "Anyways, years ago when Lord Zedd was defeated, his personal Zord remained hidden on the surface of the moon."

"I've spent the last few years trailing General Venjix," Andros said.

"And you didn't tell us about this?" TJ asked, sounding slightly hurt.

"It's a KO-35 thing," Andros said awkwardly. "They didn't even let me tell Zhane or Karone. I would have told you guys, honestly seeing as I really could have used some help, but it was kind of breaking the law if I told anyone."

"If the Machine Empire gets Serpentera they're gonna have more than enough power to destroy the Earth," Jason said.

"Which is why I told NASADA to bring more people along," Tommy said.


	24. Destroying Serpenterra

Author's Note: Still "Forever Red." And starting Sunday I'm going on vacation, so I don't think I'll have internet again until the 9th. If I'm not exhausted I'll be sure to post the next chapter then. So I'm giving you this chapter a little early!

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Destroying Serpenterra  
(Which Is Surprisingly Easy To Do)**

_Date: October 5, 2002_

Andros had suggested that the Rangers meet in one of the conference style rooms, but being Red Rangers they were all starving so the meeting was held in the kitchen. Luckily this kitchen was larger than the kitchen on the original _Astro Megaship_, so everyone had a seat. As soon as each Ranger had a plate of food in front of them Andros started.

"Aurico and Leo are coming as soon as they can."

"Who are they?" Cole asked.

"Aurico's from Aquitar," Jason said. "He and his team took over for us for a little while when we were having some power issues."

"And Leo's the Red Galactic Ranger. He's on Mironoi now," Tommy said.

"Think he's going to tell Kendrix?" TJ asked.

"No," Andros, and Jason answered.

"Let's get started," Tommy said. "Several years ago, the Machine Empire emerged from deep space and tried to invade the Earth. Myself and the other Zeo Rangers succeeded in stopping their invasion mostly through the fact that Rita and Zedd returned and scared Mondo off. When Zordon died, the wave of good energy destroyed the Machine Empire. However, like I mentioned before, some villains from various teams managed to survive. Now these last surviving members of the Machine Empire have regrouped under the command of General Venjix. They're gathering in the Sea of Tranquility on the moon."

"What would they want on the moon?" Wes asked.

"Serpentera," Jason said.

"I already told you that like seven times on the phone, so don't sound so smug," Tommy said. "Anyways, years ago when Lord Zedd was defeated, his personal Zord remained hidden on the surface of the moon."

"I've spent the last few years trailing General Venjix," Andros said.

"And you didn't tell us about this?" TJ asked, sounding slightly hurt.

"It's a KO-35 thing," Andros said awkwardly. "They didn't even let me tell Zhane or Karone. I would have told you guys, honestly seeing as I really could have used some help, but it was kind of breaking the law if I told anyone."

"If the Machine Empire gets Serpentera they're gonna have more than enough power to destroy the Earth," Jason said.

"Which is why I told NASADA to bring more people along," Tommy said.

"Then we have to stop them before they get it," Cole said. "We're the only chance Earth has."

"How much longer till we get there?" Eric asked.

"Only a few more minutes," Andros said. "So everyone to the Jump Tubes."

"The what?" everyone but TJ asked.

"Those," TJ said, pointing to the tubes along the wall. "Jump in them, they'll take you down to the moon."

"Can't we not breathe on the moon?" Jason asked sarcastically.

"And neither can the bad guys, but that's never stopped them," TJ said.

"They always put an air bubble up," Tommy said. "Otherwise the Rita problem would have been solved ages ago."

"What about the temperature?" Wes asked.

"Air bubble equals heat bubble too," Tommy said.

"_We have now arrived at the moon_," Deca said over the communication system.

"Can't we just teleport?" Jason asked.

"Jump tubes!" Andros said, pointing. "Go now!"

"Fine, fine," Jason said.

"Everybody ready?" Tommy asked.

"Ready!"

"Got your morpher?"

"Why would you ask that?" TJ asked. "Of course everyone has their morpher."

"He couldn't find it during the Countdown and he didn't take it with him to the island when it exploded," Jason explained.

"Shut up," Tommy said. "Morphers ready?"

"Ready!"

"Time to kick some Machine Empire butt!"

Andros and TJ, partly out of habit, partly out of comfort, did their customary routine before jumping into the Tubes.

"What did they just do?" Carter asked.

"Don't question it, just go with the flow and get to the moon," Jason said.

Tommy and Jason went last amongst the Red Rangers, glancing at each other before shooting down to the surface of the moon.

**********

"General Venjix," Gerrock said, "installation of the neo-plutonium reactor is nearly complete."

"Excellent," Venjix said. He turned to the monument of King Mondo and said, "At last, we will avenge your untimely destruction, King Mondo. Let's begin!"

He was interrupted by a large explosion and everyone turned to see the Red Rangers running towards them.

"You know, if you miss King Mondo that much, I promise we can help you join him," Jason said.

"We're not gonna let you bring back Serpentera!" Cole shouted fervently.

Internally Tommy could only marvel at how naïve the boy was. Granted, he'd been that naïve when he was the Green Ranger, but still. Well, maybe he himself was a little jaded after all the world takeovers. And if he'd heard the gossip correctly, Cole had been living with apes or something like he was Tarzan.

"Try and stop us!" Venjix challenged, drawing Tommy back to the present.

"Let's do it!" he said.

"Cogs! To battle!" Gerrock ordered.

The Cogs advanced towards the Rangers and attacked. In the minor skirmish Tommy lost sight of Cole. Once his Cogs were down he glanced around and saw Cole getting blasted backwards by a shot that Venjix fired at him. The Machine Empire generals advanced on him.

Shots were fired and the generals stumbled back. Leo's jet jammer – Leo and Aurico on board – swooped in and got Cole. Cole wobbled for a second but steadied.

The three flew to relative safety before landing. Everyone else jogged over to them.

"Leo, Aurico, just in time," Andros said.

"Andros," Leo said the visor on his helmet slid open. "We got here as soon as we could."

The 10 Rangers faced the generals and Jason grinned. "Well guys, what are we waiting for?"

"Let's do it!" Tommy said.

"It's Morphing Time! Tyrannosaurus!"

"It's Morphing Time! Zeo Ranger Five! Red!"

"Shift into Turbo! Red Lightening Turbo Power!"

"Let's rock it! Red Space Ranger!"

"Go Galactic!"

"Andros"

"Wes"

"Eric"

"Cole"

"Red Aquitar Ranger Power!"

"All right guys, we're here to save the Earth," Cole said. "Let's take them down."

'_Shouldn't I be saying that?' _Tommy thought to himself.

Everyone took off and teamed up to fight the generals – Jason and Cole, Tommy and Wes, TJ and Leo, Aurico and Eric, and finally Andros and Carter. Everyone but Jason and Cole defeated their general. They nearly had Gerrock down, but just after Jason shouted, "Still number one!" Gerrock ran off for Serpenterra after yelling that he had it.

"No!" Cole said as Jason ran off after Gerrock, who reached the Zord and taking off. "Oh no! It's taking off!"

The others ran to them and watched as Serpenterra lifted off. "Aw man," Tommy said. "That is one ugly Zord."

"He's heading for Earth," TJ said.

"He's getting away!" Leo said.

"We've gotta get back to the Megaship," Jason told them. "Come on."

"Right," Andros said.

"There isn't time," Carter said, stopping them in their tracks. "We have to take out Serpenterra before it leaves the moon."

"This is why I wanted to bring everyone," Tommy groaned.

"There's only one chance," Cole said. He ran forward, shouting, "Wild Force Rider!" It appeared and he jumped on, flying off.

As the rest of the Red Rangers watched in shock Serpenterra fired at Cole, narrowly missing, and Cole came to a quick halt in front of the large Zord. He headed straight for Serpenterra's mouth before firing a blast and rode into the mouth of the Zord.

"What the hell did he just do?" Jason asked.

Serpenterra exploded.

"Uh, did he just sacrifice himself?" Leo asked.

"And how did that even work?" TJ asked. "Isn't Serpenterra supposed to be hard to destroy?"

"We never managed it," Tommy said.

"There he is!" Carter said, pointing towards the floating debris and wreckage.

The Red Rangers cheered as he zoomed in towards the moon.

"I gotta admit, you did well, rookie," Jason said.

Jason and Cole turned and headed for the _Astro Megaship Mark II_ as the others stared at the remnants of the massive Zord.

"I still don't get how that worked," Wes said once the two were out of earshot.

"Neither do I," Tommy said.

"Why don't we try to get some of the wreckage?" Andros asked. "We should get the bits that won't burn up in atmo anyways."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

_"So now what?" Leo asked._

_"We head down to Earth before the girls find out," Andros said. "I'll take you and Aurico back after I tell Ashley that I've got to make a trip there to check up on stuff. I don't think she'll press the matter. Much."_

_"Then back we go before the girls discover what was going on," Jason said. "I hope they don't know what happened."_

_"Don't hope," Tommy said, "pray."_

_***_

Question for you guys. Do you actually look at the LJ comm I made for this?


	25. Wreckage Scavenging

Author's Note: Still "Forever Red." But only until the next chapter. And apparently I have internet here at the Marriott, so here's your chapter!

Part One: Tommy and Kimberly's Dating Years

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Wreckage Scavenging  
(Or Why Exactly Was Cole Able To Do That?)**

_Date: October 5, 2002_

Luckily for the Red Rangers, there were very few large pieces of wreckage from Serpenterra's explosion. That's not to say that there weren't _any_, but there definitely weren't as many as they had expected.

As soon as all of the bits of space flotsam and jetsam were in the ship, they went into orbit over the planet. Tommy, Jason, and Andros were a little apprehensive about staying off Earth for so long because Tommy was fairly certain Kimberly was going to figure something out. And once she did all hell would break loose.

All of the Reds were looking at the assorted bits of Serpenterra in the ship, trying to find something useful. Cole didn't understand because, after all, Serpenterra was gone and wasn't that all that mattered? The people who had fought against Serpenterra knew that no, that wasn't all that mattered. Something had happened while the ship was on the moon that had made it ridiculously easy to destroy.

"I just wish it had been that easy back when we were after it," Tommy said as he shifted one of the larger pieces of debris.

"Guys, I think I got something useful," Carter said.

Andros headed over to Carter and took the debris from him. "It's a computer chip! That's great!"

"Why is that important?" TJ asked. "There are like a thousand computer chips in a Zord."

"It's a computer chip from Serpenterra's main computer banks. And it's a big one," Andros said. "If it isn't too damaged we might be able to find out why Serpenterra was so easy to destroy."

"Okay," Rocky said. "Does that mean we have to keep rooting through this stuff then?"

"Not for now. But it would be interesting to see exactly what Serpenterra was made of," Andros said. "Come on, let's go."

The group of Red Rangers followed him to the bridge and made themselves comfortable in the few chairs or leaning against a wall. Andros plugged the relatively large computer chip into the ship's main computer. "Here's to hoping that it doesn't have a virus," he sighed after it was in.

"Shouldn't you have thought of that earlier?" Eric asked.

"Deca'll be fine," Andros said. "All a virus would do to the ship would cause it to need to reboot."

"Space ships can reboot?" Wes asked curiously.

Andros nodded. "Ah," he said as the ship's screens filled up. "Here we go." He scrolled down through the information and then shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What does it say?" Tommy asked, moving to stand next to Andros. When he saw what the words on the screen he shook his head.

"What is it?" Leo asked.

"Serpenterra was low on energy and fuel," Andros said.

"There was a fuel leak in the Zord, which probably helped it to explode," Tommy added. "And somebody left a program running as well as the internal lights, which caused the power to drain."

"Well, somebody's an idiot," TJ said.

"Definitely," Wes agreed.

"So now what?" Leo asked.

"We head down to Earth before the girls find out," Andros said. "I'll take you and Aurico back after I tell Ashley that I've got to make a trip there to check up on stuff. I don't think she'll press the matter. Much."

"Then back we go before the girls discover what was going on," Jason said. "I hope they don't know what happened."

"Don't hope," Tommy said, "pray."

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

As he was imagining the battle between the Q-Rex and the Dragonzord – Dragonzord was kicking the Q-Rex's butt – he completely missed the skipping figure coming towards him and the shouts of pain from the direction he was walking towards.

"Hiya Tommy," a voice said from his right, startling him out of his daydream.

He glanced over in surprise at the young, and female, sounding voice and did a double take as he realized the voice belonged to none other than Megan. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked warily.

"I'm the warning of impending doom," Megan giggled and continued on her way towards the … Red Rangers.

"Oh God I'm going to die," Tommy said as he made the connection a minute later. He took off sprinting after Megan.


	26. Some Very, Very Angry Girlfriends

Author's Note: Sadly, this ends our "Forever Red" spectacle. Depressing, isn't it? But it was fun to write.

And about the last chapter, I wanted to explain why exactly Cole was able to destroy Serpenterra, because I figure if it was that easy, then why didn't they do it before. So basically some idiot (cough Rito) screwed it up.

Also (and I swear this is the last note) I asked a few chapters ago if anyone used the LJ comm that I created. I, ah, apparently didn't realize that you didn't _know_ that there was a comm for this story. It's not much because I epic!fail when it comes to graphics or the like, and it's actually a few chapters behind right now, but it is where I'm going to put _everything_ OLC related. I do have other side stories in the works (such as when Xaren plants one on Cassie) that will be posted in either their own story or a story titled One Little Change: Extras. Anyways, the point is that I do have a LJ comm, the link is in my profile, or you can go to LJ and search for 1littlechange, which is what the comm's titled. What I've got up there now is a full pairing list that goes through Wild Force (and I'll add the other pairings as I get to the next show and so on -- though you may want to look at the tags for clues), as well as wordles for the chapters. I'm trying to put the wordle for the next chapter up when I post, but it hasn't worked lately. And if you don't know what a wordle is, I'll explain briefly. You put the document in the webprogram and it counts how many times a word is used. The larger the word in the image, the more times it's been used. So it sort of gives you a hint of what's coming.

Well. That was a long way of saying that I have a comm...Sorry!

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Some Very, Very, Very Angry Girlfriends  
(And Terrified Red Rangers)**

_Date: October 5, 2002_

Tommy grinned and shook his head as he walked away from the other Rangers. Then he laughed as he heard Eric say that the Q-Rex could beat the Dragonzord any day. Oh, the boy was dead wrong, but Tommy would let him dream for a little while.

As he was imagining the battle between the Q-Rex and the Dragonzord – Dragonzord was kicking the Q-Rex's butt – he completely missed the skipping figure coming towards him and the shouts of pain from the direction he was walking towards.

"Hiya Tommy," a voice said from his right, startling him out of his daydream.

He glanced over in surprise at the young, and female, sounding voice and did a double take as he realized the voice belonged to none other than Megan. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked warily.

"I'm the warning of impending doom," Megan giggled and continued on her way towards the … Red Rangers.

"Oh God I'm going to die," Tommy said as he made the connection a minute later. He took off sprinting after Megan.

The Reds weren't in the cars yet, apparently preferring to stand around and chat.

"Get in the cars now!" he bellowed at them. "Run!"

"What?" Cole asked.

"What's going on?" Wes asked.

"They know!" Tommy said.

"Oh God," Jason said, bolting for his motorcycle. "We're dead, we're dead."

"They _know_?" TJ asked. "I'm gonna die. CARS NOW!"

Everyone jumped a little at the sudden onslaught of sound.

"I do _not_ think so Theodore J Jarvis," Ashley shouted as she, Kimberly, Trini, Aisha, Tanya, Dana, Kendrix, and Cassie appeared, dragging along Justin, Carlos, Zhane, Rocky, and Xaren.

"Thomas Oliver you are _so_ in trouble!" Kimberly shouted, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she marched towards him, a fairly dangerous look in her eyes.

Megan, who'd remained silent so far, hissed, "Wes, Eric, Cole, run. Now. Really. Run."

"What's going on?" Cole asked as Wes and Eric started backing away.

"Have you ever been at the opposite end of Taylor or Alyssa's fury?" Wes asked.

"No," Cole said, clearly still puzzled.

"We get bitchy when our boyfriends go on _death trap_ missions and don't tell us!" Trini shrieked.

"Especially when _my_ boyfriend _organized_ the damn thing!" Kimberly shrieked as well.

"Kim, Beautiful, sweetheart, sweetie, I'm sorry. I really am," Tommy said, holding his hands up and slowly backing to where Jason stood.

Cole titled his head to the side much like a dog and stared at Tommy in confusion.

"And why the _hell_ did you tell _them_ without letting us know?" Aisha asked, stabbing Rocky in the shoulder.

Tommy winced but didn't say anything.

"Why didn't you let us come! Serpenterra's hard to defeat you idiots!" Tanya said.

"Actually," Cole said as he stepped forward, causing all of the boys to wince, "I defeated Serpenterra. It was really easy. I don't know why you guys made such a fuss about it."

All of the girls sent a withering glare in his direction, causing him to shrink back.

"And _you two_," Ashley said, pointing to the slowly backing away Wes and Eric. "Do _not_ think that you're getting off easy because you don't have girlfriends. You are still so very dead." Ashley then whirled to Andros who Tommy swore whimpered. "And _you_ Andros! You didn't even tell me you were doing recon! I had to physically drag it out of Zhane when I realized that you'd gone and blown up the moon!"

"We didn't blow up the moon," Tommy said.

"Shut up!" Ashley shouted. "We're getting _married_ in a month, Andros! MARRIED! No more suicide missions!"

"This wasn't a suicide mission," Andros said, cringing back from his irate fiancé slightly.

"And where the hell is Rocky?" Kimberly demanded. "He was a Red Ranger too. And if you're going to decide to have some chauvinistic Red Ranger bonding fiasco, he should be invited too! Did you decide to exclude him or something? That is _not_ how the Power Ranger family works, Thomas Oliver!"

"He's in Africa with Aisha! There wasn't time to get him! And I was worried that he'd hurt his back!" Tommy said defensively. "It's not my fault!"

"That doesn't mean that you should exclude him!" Trini nearly growled.

"I thought you were mad at us because we went on this mission," Jason said.

"I am," Trini growled at him. "And you had best not remind me of that when I get distracted from that."

"You all are so dead," Kimberly said, looking at all the boys in turn.

"I'm not as violently mad as the rest of them are," Kendrix said, speaking up for the first time. "I'm just irritated that Leo didn't tell any of us what was going on and where he was going."

"Sorry," Leo muttered apologetically. "I didn't want to worry you."

"You wouldn't have," Kendrix said. "I trust you to keep yourself safe. Well, Maya was worried but that's Maya for you."

"I _am_ sorry, Kendrix," Leo said contritely.

"It's fine," Kendrix said, grabbing her boyfriend's hand and pulling him away from the other Red Rangers who were about to be filleted by a bunch of angry girlfriends.

Once he was safely behind the girls' backs and out of Kendrix's line of sight, he winked at the boys, who all immediately became outraged. The girls took that look of outrage differently.

"Oh, the fact that he's off the hook with Kendrix doesn't mean he's off the hook with us!" Trini said.

Cassie rolled her eyes at the girls and said, "I'm going to take Cole, Wes, and Eric and yell at them in private, okay?"

"Go ahead," Kimberly said.

Cassie grabbed Wes and Eric, thinking that Cole would follow behind. It was only when Cole said, "Am I in trouble? Because my team knows that I'm here."

Megan sighed and said, "You really need to learn when to shut up when the Pinks and Yellows get pissed off."

"He does have a good point," Cassie said. "I'd lay all the blame on Andros and Tommy."

Andros and Tommy turned to glare at her. Kimberly, Trini, and Ashley looked speculatively at their boyfriends.

"Andros was the one doing recon and Tommy was the one that organized everyone," Cassie said with a wicked grin.

"Blame NASADA!" Tommy and Andros said.

"They wanted me to do recon on the Machine Empire!" Andros said.

"And they were the ones that called me! They didn't even want the Red Rangers to come! They were wary of _me_ coming!" Tommy said. "I tried to get them to let you girls come, but _no_ they said it was too dangerous and that people would realize that something was going on!"

"You're not helping," Kimberly said. "Because honestly, that big lunar explosion kind of gave it away anyways. And NASADA isn't in charge of you."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Jason hissed at Tommy.

"You boys are going to be slaves for life," Trini said firmly. "Slaves. For. _Life_!"

"I'm still confused at what's going on," Cole said.

"Let me explain," Megan said, cutting the girls off. "The boys all left without telling their teams and girlfriends. So now they're all in trouble. The Pink and Yellow Rangers are very, very scary when pissed off as you can tell. And the Red Rangers are big wusses when faced with angry girlfriends. So, the Red Rangers need to inform their girlfriends that they're going to run off. Because they're whipped beyond belief."

"Oh," Cole said. "They're going to die, aren't they?"

"Oh yeah," Megan said. "Come one Cassie, Wes, and Eric. Let's let them die."

As soon as they were out of earshot Wes breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God they're not going to kill me."

"You're just lucky," Cassie said. "I actually think it's pretty amusing. Well, I'm also really pissed at Andros but that has nothing to do with you guys."

There was a yelp and all heads turned to look at Kim beating Tommy with her purse. "Ow," Cassie winced.

"I am so telling Justin everything," Megan grinned wickedly. "This is blackmail for life. Ooh! Do you have a camera?"

"Why?" Cassie asked, but then her face lit up. "Photo album!"

"Got that right," Megan grinned.

********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

_The wedding between Ashley Hammond and Andros Darkover was going to be a very extravagant affair._


	27. A Power Ranger Wedding In Space Part 1

Author's Note: Andros and Ashley are so adorable, aren't they?

**Chapter Twenty-Six: A Power Ranger Wedding In Space Part 1  
(And They Don't Get In Trouble Either Because Everyone's Invited)**

_Date: October 27 -- November 1,2002_

The wedding between Ashley Hammond and Andros Darkover was going to be a very extravagant affair.

Ashley Hammond and Andros Darkover's wedding began a week before they were to actually say their vows. All previous Ranger teams were invited, and there was a fair bit of hope that even the Time Force Rangers from the future would appear as well. Ashley and Cassie were both very into the idea of one big Ranger family that Kimberly had instated years prior.

It started with all of the Rangers arriving on the _Astro Megaship II_, though Megan (who Ashley and Cassie had found they liked quite well) still called it Junior. Everyone had a room on the large ship, and all of the Rangers were excited to see each other again and meet the newest team. Tanya was busy with her singing career and rarely able to see a number of the Rangers. Aisha was a little hard to reach as she was in a remote African village half of the time, though she was planning on making the move back to America. Kim, Tanya, and Trini were sure it had to do with Rocky as the two were doing a very long distance relationship. Kat's dancing career was as high as it ever had been, but due to world tours with her dancing company, her free time was severely diminished. Billy had even managed to make the long trek from Aquitar to Earth even though he had never met Ashley before.

Knowing that everyone would want to do nothing but talk to one another, Ashley and Andros planned that the first three days would just consist of the former Power Rangers hanging out and relaxing with one another.

The first thing Trini and Kimberly proceeded to do was inform Billy of the Red Ranger fiasco that had happened only a month prior. Billy could only manage to shake his head at them. Anyone else that hadn't realized what had happened or didn't know the consequences (such as Zhane and Karone who had been off world) were quickly informed of how stupid the Red Rangers were.

Taylor, Alyssa, Cole, Danny, and Max were all introduced to all of the former Power Rangers. Merrick had politely declined the invitation, preferring to continue on his journey to find himself.

As soon as Alyssa revealed that she had been the White Wild Force Ranger, the Pinks and Yellows descended upon her, asking all sorts of questions about being a non-standard girl color. The boys, on the other hand, just rolled their eyes and walked away.

"Aren't you the least bit interested in why Alyssa wasn't a standard color?" Billy asked Megan.

"Nah," Megan said. "Not really."

"But you want to be the official historian for all Power Rangers," Billy said.

"Yeah, but her uniform had pink on it, so technically she was like a Tommy-Aunt Kim love child," Megan said.

"Oh _God_," Tommy said, having caught the last bit of their conversation. "That's just wrong on so many different levels."

"Photo album quote," Justin said.

Megan grinned wickedly and nodded. "Oh heck yeah. Though I have a feeling this week is _all_ about the photo album."

"Do not put that in the album," Tommy said. "Please don't."

"Oh get over it," Jason said. "Don't you know by now that you can't stop anybody from putting something in the album?"

The Rangers frequently used the holodeck to hang out at the beach, park, or anywhere they wanted. Mostly it was games of basketball or a hybrid mix of soccer and football that wasn't quite rugby.

**********

"Oh come on! How is that fair?" Jason yelled down the field.

"There aren't any rules!" Tommy yelled back with a grin as he landed from his leap over the head of Cole, who looked thoroughly bewildered at what just happened.

There was a streak of light and Greg was standing in front of Tommy. Tommy looked surprised and before he knew it Greg had pulled the ball from his hands and was running incredibly fast towards Tommy's goal.

Jason let out a shout as Greg scored. "Ha!"

"How'd you do that?" Cole asked.

"Ninja Master," was Greg's response.

Rocky, who was playing goalie for Tommy's team sighed and punted the ball down the field. "This game sucks. Seriously."

"Hey, nobody said _you_ couldn't use your Ninjetti powers," Greg said.

"Huh, that's a good point," Rocky said. He bounced a little on the balls of his feet. "Thanks."

"No problem. Jason and Tommy are getting slightly too competitive for my tastes," Greg grinned.

"That would be them. Before I joined the team they'd have weight lifting competitions. It'd start out innocently and then before you knew it they were trying to outdo one another," Rocky said.

"Greg!" Jason bellowed from the other goal. "Get back here! Stop fraternizing with the enemy! No offense Rocky!"

"None taken!" Rocky called as Greg jogged over to where the ball was in play – being thrown overhand and underhand to a bunch of his teammates.

From over on the sidelines Ashley asked, "Why are we watching them again?"

"Because they're being rugged and manly," Kim explained.

"More like they're being whiny and annoying," Trini said as Jason shouted at Tommy in irritation again.

"Anybody know where Cassie and Xaren went?" Kat asked.

"Somewhere that didn't involve watching our boyfriends make utter fools of themselves," Tanya said.

"I am _not_ making a fool of myself!" Adam called from the field.

"Of course not sweetie," Tanya said reassuringly. As soon as Adam turned back to the game he tackled Tommy and the two fell to the ground in a heap as others raced over to try and get the ball.

"Right. Totally not a fool," Aisha said. "At least my boyfriend's staying in the goal and not talking."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Alyssa said as somebody on Tommy's team – the girls weren't entirely sure who was on what team by this point as Wes and Eric seemed to be doing whatever they wanted even though they'd been assigned to different teams – did something stupid and Rocky took off running towards the ball, going into a diving roll and scooped up the ball, taking off for Jason.

The girls all stared in shock as he raced down the field, soccer ball tucked under his arm like a football. He dodged the other players as they lunged at him, managing to avoid all of them completely. He charged at Jason, who backed up a step, then another, and another again as Rocky didn't decrease his speed at all as he neared the goal.

Jason was forced to dive to the side as Rocky barreled into the net. At the last moment he flung the soccer ball into the back corner of the net as he reached up and grabbed the crossbar of the goal, the momentum causing him to swing back and forth.

"Well he is an ape," Aisha sighed.

Sadly, the rest of the game continued in the same vein.

**********

Interestingly enough, all of the members of the wedding party went down to Earth for Halloween to participate in a Halloween masquerade party that Ernie (who had come back to Angel Grove) was hosting at the Youth Center. Nobody seemed to care that they were, in fact, just a little bit too old to be hanging out at their favorite place.

**********

The girls used the day before the wedding was used for both the bachelor and bachelorette parties. The boys took up the holodeck, preferring to mess around and play games and use the training programs than head down to the Earth and participate in a true American bachelor party. There was also the correct assumption that the girls would actually murder the boys.

The girls spent the day at a spa getting massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, and anything else they could think of. The only stipulation was that the paparrazi would not appear. It actually helped that they were teleporting down versus walking in the front door. The spa had graciously closed for the day, allowing the female Rangers to be the only women in the spa.

The women all had quite a bit of fun, including Taylor, who claimed that she didn't really like spas. Ashley was certain that every female Ranger, Pink or Yellow (or the odd White-Pink in Alyssa's case) enjoyed relaxation time. The stress of fighting against numerous minions and deranged monsters that didn't know when to quit in addition to worrying about the fate of the world really did a number on all of the Rangers. And the boys just didn't know how to relax the same way that girls did.

Sure, sparring was…fun, but girls needed real down time where they could chat with their girlfriends and do stupid girly things and play truth or dare. Which according to Ashley they were going to play, but according to Taylor, Dana, Cassie, and Tanya they were not playing.

Ashley was trying to spend time with each of the girls, flitting from area to area in the spa, though she did tend to gravitate towards her bridal party of Cassie as the Maid of Honor, Kim, Kat, and Tanya. She also found herself looking in on Megan and Laura periodically, checking to see if they were getting along with the other girls. She didn't doubt that they would, but it was interesting to see how well they were actually getting along with everyone.

**********

"Oh God I needed this," Kim sighed. She and the other Mighty Morphing and Zeo girls were in one of the steam rooms relaxing. "I've been so stressed lately."

"Why?" Trini asked. "Is it the school?"

"No, it's not that," Kim said. "That's doing fine, even if it is taking a toll on me."

"Well, how much are you doing?" Kat asked.

"I mean, I run the place and teach classes. That's pretty much it," Kim said. "The toll part is mostly just running a business. Hayley seems to be having the same problems, so I guess it's natural."

"Then what's bothering you?" Aisha asked.

"Tommy," was Kim's aggravated reply.

The other girls immediately looked at each other in alarm. "Oh God. You're not breaking up again, are you? We couldn't handle that," Tanya said.

"You're not breaking up. Never again. You two are going to live forever in a happy little fairytale, got it?" Aisha said.

"Kim, you and Tommy are perfect for one another," Kat said. "You can handle the small stuff. And between all of us we can handle the big stuff."

"Kim, I swear to God if you and that boy break up one more time I'm going to haul your asses together and lock you in an impenetrable closet. And if that doesn't work I'm going to kill you," Trini said.

Kim stared at her friends in confusion. "Uh, I never said I was going to break up with him," she said. "I said he was the root of my problems. Nothing else."

"Then what's going on?" Trini asked as everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's being slow. And thick. And really, really dense," Kim said.

"Aren't men always?" Aisha asked. "It took Rocky forever to realize I liked him as more than a friend. And it also took him forever to realize I was a girl. Actually, it was about the time we became Rangers."

"Tommy and Rocky are more dense than most guys," Tanya said.

"So how is Tommy's usual denseness being annoying?" Trini asked.

"See, my mom had this thing when Laura and I were growing up: college, marriage, job, then babies. And my mom considers moving in a house together before marriage breaking the plan."

"Ah," the girls said.

"You're dropping hints aren't you?" Kat asked.

"Like it's a war and they're bombs," Kim sighed. "He's an idiot of epic proportions."

Trini sat back against the wood paneling of the spa and frowned. Kim could see the wheels and cogs turning in her oldest girlfriend's mind. Trini was a meddler when it came to her friends. She just wanted them to be happy. So when the Yellow began to plot, things were undoubtedly about to get _very _interesting.

********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

_The kiss that the two exchanged had the boys catcalling and the girls sighing wistfully. Megan looked up at Laura and said, "Mommy, I want a boy like Uncle Andros. Only with better hair."_

_That, of course, triggered a fair bit of laughter. Many of the Rangers had wondered exactly what was up with Andros's hair. It hardly looked natural. And not a single member of his family had hair that had a streak of blonde, or any other color for that matter, in it._


	28. A Power Ranger Wedding In Space Part 2

Author's Note: More of Ashley and Andros's wedding!

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Power Ranger Wedding In Space Part 2  
(May I Now Present…)**

_Date: November 2, 2002_

The ceremony had been a beautiful one, creating a fluid mix of the traditions of both the Earth (well, America anyways) and KO-35. Andros and Ashley decided instead of using traditional vows from their homes to write their own.

Andros, who had been panicking right before he was to walk out in front of everyone, was calmer than anyone had seen him before.

"When I met you my life was a total wreck," he told her. "I really had no idea where my sister was, KO-35 was pretty much destroyed, Zhane was in a cryo chamber. Then you guys showed up and were a burst of hope. As much as I didn't want to admit it, you guys were what I needed. But of all of our friends, you were the one that drove me the most. You never gave up on me, even though I gave you plenty of opportunities to do just that. I was in love with you, but I distanced myself from you to avoid being hurt again. But apparently I'm really bad at that." There were a few snickers in the audience and Andros continued. "When I had to tell you that I was leaving to go and find Zordon during the Countdown I didn't think anything would hurt half as much as that. I was wrong. When everything was said and done and I was saying goodbye to you on KO-35, knowing that it was unlikely that we'd ever be really together, it hurt more. Luckily for the both of us, Zhane really knows how to tell a guy he's an idiot." Zhane grinned at the couple. "Coming back with you guys to Earth was the best decision I have ever made other than asking you to marry me. I love you, Ash."

Ashley, who had tears in her eyes, smiled at him. "I'm pretty sure that I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Though that does seem to be the norm when it comes to Rangers," she said, resulting in a few chuckles from the Rangers in the audience. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Xaren staring adoringly at Cassie and Zhane had the dopiest smile on his face as he gazed at Karone. "I may not have known that I'd fallen in love," she continued, "but I knew I liked you. Cassie even ribbed me for it as soon as you were out of earshot. We went through a lot that year, both as friends and as teammates. And I have to say that I had never been as happy as I was when you walked back onto that ship. Of course, I've been happier since, like right now. The point is, Andros, that I love you. No matter what happens I'll always love you. Forever and always."

"Then, in the traditions of both Earth and KO-35, you may exchange your rings and be married," the officiant from KO-35 said.

The ring that Andros had bought Ashley was freakishly large, the size that one equated with JLo or other celebrities of that nature. The stone was a 3 carat yellow diamond in a yellow gold setting. The band itself had platinum surrounding the gold band. The platinum had tiny diamonds set in it and the gold had more yellow diamonds set in the band. Over all it was a very impressive ring. Ashley had been shocked out of her mind when Andros had bought it, protesting that it was too much and she was fine with a smaller ring but Andros said that due to the amount of money that they were given for being the first Rangers made public that he could do what he wanted, and so he bought it. Ashley loved it for all that she thought it was an irrational purchase.

Andros's ring, on the other hand, was simple and just simple gold.

Once the rings were on the two, the officiant said, "Forever may you be bound to one another in eternal happiness. Andros and Ashley Darkover, you may kiss."

The kiss that the two exchanged had the boys catcalling and the girls sighing wistfully. Megan looked up at Laura and said, "Mommy, I want a boy like Uncle Andros. Only with better hair."

That, of course, triggered a fair bit of laughter. Many of the Rangers had wondered exactly what was up with Andros's hair. It hardly looked natural. And not a single member of his family had hair that had a streak of blonde, or any other color for that matter, in it.

After the newly married couple processed out everyone moved to the holodeck for the reception. Trini took this time to put her plan in effect. Tommy was going to propose to Kim. Tonight. All she had to do was get him to start thinking about it, despite the fact that they were at a wedding. Before that, though, she had to get him separated from Kim, which proved to be slightly hard. The two were usually attached to one another, but now it was just obnoxious. How was she supposed to drop hints if Kim was going to be there. After all, Kim didn't know anything about the plan.

"What's wrong?" Aisha asked her when she saw her covertly glaring at Tommy from across the room. He was dancing with Kim on the dance floor. Numerous couples were out there, and even Megan and Justin were dancing with one another, giggling their heads off as they did.

"I can't get Tommy away from Kim," Trini said.

"Why do you need to?" Aisha asked.

"Tommy's going to propose," Trini said firmly.

"Really?" Aisha squealed. "That's great!"

"Not yet it isn't. I haven't gotten it in his head to propose yet," Trini said.

"What? Oh," Aisha said. "So that's what the look was for at the spa."

"Yup," Trini said. "And I have to get them away from one another if I'm going to drop hints he'll pick up."

"I'm on it. How do you want to do this?" Aisha asked.

"Can you have something to complain about Rocky to her?" Trini asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Aisha said. "So, drag her off and send Tommy your way?"

"Tell him Jason wanted to talk to him. I'm abusing the boyfriend for this one."

"It is of vital importance. They are epic," Aisha said.

"Megan says that Wes and Jen are more because of time travel, but she's clearly wrong. So, steal Kim, but leave her in sight, send Tommy my way and we'll have a proposal." Aisha nodded. "All right, Operation Proposal is a go."

With that the two women split. Aisha maneuvered through the dance floor, working up an expression of annoyance, anger, and a bit of sadness to convey to Kim just how much she needed to talk to her. Trini headed to Jason and yanked him out of a conversation with some of Andros's family.

"Sorry," she said to them as she pulled him to a table and sat him down.

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"You'll find out. Just sit. And don't talk. I have a plan," Trini told him.

"Why does that not reassure me?" Jason asked.

She saw Aisha and Kim head over to the buffet table (the opposite end Rocky was at, incidentally enough) and Trini listened for Tommy's footsteps.

Ah!

"You know," Trini said to Jason conversationally, as if she had no idea that Tommy was standing less than ten steps behind the two of them. "Tommy and Kim really should have been the first to get married. They were, after all, the first Ranger Couple. We didn't even start dating until they did. And now they didn't even make the second. It's just a shame. I mean, they're practically married now. They just don't have the rings to prove it."

There was a sound behind them that was quite similar to someone tripping and then catching himself from falling. Trini gripped Jason's hand hard to prevent him from looking behind them. Only when she saw Tommy making a beeline for Kim did she let out a giggle.

"Come on," she said, yanking Jason once again. She gestured for Laura, who was closest, to get the other girls quickly.

"Did you just con Tommy into proposing?" Jason asked.

"Hopefully," Trini grinned as they surreptitiously made their way to the buffet table.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Jason grinned at her.

"Not today."

**********

When Aisha had come up to them, looking distressed, Kim had immediately left Tommy, knowing something was wrong. But when Aisha started to complain about Rocky when he was nearly in hearing distance, she knew something was up. And then she noticed Trini, Laura, Kat, Tanya, and quite a number of other girls – including the bride – edging their way towards her.

Then Tommy spun her around and kissed her. When he broke it off she looked at him, startled. Typically he reserved those types of kisses for when they didn't have an audience of their best friends.

"Tommy?" she asked.

"I love you," was his response.

"Good to know," she said nervously. There was definitely something going on here.

"And you love me. And we live in a house. Together. And we're planning a vacation for next summer that involves none of our friends. And your mother keeps dropping hints about grandchildren."

"Then what the heck am I?" Megan asked from somewhere nearby.

Kimberly could see a wickedly grinning Trini from over Tommy's shoulder. Oh dear.

"Kim, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me? Please?"

Kim gaped for a second, kissed Tommy, said, "Yes," and then marched over to Trini. She grabbed Trini's ear and pulled her away, Trini protesting the entire way.

Tommy looked in confusion after his new fiancé. "What just happened?" he asked.

"You just got conned into proposing," Jason said. "Trini knew you were behind us. And, by the way, you should have done this ages ago."

**********

Next time on "Power Rangers: One Little Change:"

_Cameron Wantanabe was used to all sorts of students at the Wind Academy. He had to say, though, that these three new students were by far the strangest he'd met yet. They were all in their junior year of high school, which was a relatively unpopular age. Most new students were either middle school and younger or out of college. _

_What was even stranger was that none of them had managed to find their element yet. It wasn't exactly unheard of for a new student to not have discovered what element suited them for a couple of weeks into training, but Tori, Shane, and Dustin had been there for almost two and a half months now. _

Yayz! The beginning of Ninja Storm. Sort of. Not really. Still have a year to go for that. But ToriShaneDustin!!!


	29. New Ninja Students

Author's Note: I thought that I'd get more reviews in regards to the proposal. And no Tommy and Kim in this chapter, but there is mentions of what's to come. And Laura's actually working on the wedding prep, which is going to take a few chapters.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: New Ninja Students  
(Shane, Tori, And Dustin Appear And Cause Cam To Have A Headache)**

_Date: November 18, 2002_

Cameron Wantanabe was used to all sorts of students at the Wind Academy. He had to say, though, that these three new students were by far the strangest he'd met yet. They were all in their junior year of high school, which was a relatively unpopular age. Most new students were either middle school and younger or out of college.

What was even stranger was that none of them had managed to find their element yet. It wasn't exactly unheard of for a new student to not have discovered what element suited them for a couple of weeks into training, but Tori, Shane, and Dustin had been there for almost two and a half months now.

"I don't understand it," he told his father.

"All things will happen in time," his father told him calmly.

Cam didn't bring up the matter with his father again. Some things were just not best discussed with his father – including most things that dealt with the ninjas. Even though he wanted to, his father wouldn't let him learn to be a ninja. He wasn't sure why as it was a family tradition. As a kid he'd tried sneaking peeks at the training students, but his father had found out.

Nothing had been said, but the look of disappointed sorrow on his father's face had been enough. It was only with the arrival of Laura and Greg Wright that he had actually begun to learn something. There wasn't much they could do without breaking the unsaid rules that Kanoi Wantanabe had laid down, but they did enough. And Cam was grateful for it. There was something in him that sung out when he practiced what he knew.

He knew that being training at the Wind Academy was something that he was meant to do. It was a part of his family and a part of himself.

These three new students though, he wasn't so sure of.

Over the next few days he watched the three students carefully, though he was pretty sure his father didn't approve. There was something about them that seemed different to him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but they weren't the average high school student or the average ninja student.

He himself hadn't been an average high school student due to the fact that he lived at a secret ninja school and was probably supposed to be classified as a low level genius.

But Tori, Dustin, and Shane definitely didn't seem like the average student. From asking around he found out that Tori liked surfing and most things to do with water, Dustin was into motocross, and Shane was into skateboarding. The three sports they did correlated to the elements in a way. Tori's was obvious, and Dustin's was slightly less so with Motocross. Motocross was done on a dirt track, even if Dustin liked freestyle. Shane's skateboarding skills were apparently quite good and he preferred doing lots of tricks that required him to get lots of air.

Water, Earth, Air. The three elements taught at the Wind Academy. But why hadn't they gravitated towards those elements yet?

It bothered Cam, though he knew it shouldn't. But there was something about those three students that he just couldn't place.

Since Greg was the head Water element instructor, Cam went to him to ask if he would look at Tori. And since Laura just happened to be the head Air instructor, he could ask her about Shane at the same time.

**********

Cam knocked on the door to the Wright's suite in the Academy.

"Come in," Laura called from behind the door. "Oh, hi Cam," she said as he came in. "Anything I can help with?"

"I actually need your husband about a new student," Cam said.

"Ah, Tori Hansen," Laura said as she sat back in her chair. "Have a seat."

Cam sat down at the table and sighed. "She seems the most centered of all of them, but they're having problems adjusting. Dad doesn't want me to have to deal with them, but your daughter's complaining."

"Want me to talk to her about it?" Laura asked.

"No, it's fine," Cam said. "But Dustin Brooks is totally an airhead. He hasn't found his element yet, unlike Tori and Shane."

"Typically I've found that the ones that flounder first are actually the strongest in their power," Laura said. "Which reminds me." She began to scribble something down on a very full sheet of paper and muttered, "Tell Kim I'm not going to wear anything but shades of red."

"What are you working on?" Cam asked.

"Kim's getting hitched. Tommy proposed at Andros and Ashley's wedding. Which was actually great seeing as the majority of the invitees for their wedding were at Ashley and Andros's."

"Ah," Cam said. "When are they getting married?"

"December 14th," Laura said as she scribbled down more notes.

"That's less than a month," Cam said.

"Which is why I'm going nuts," Laura said. "But with all of the girls involved, we're really trying not to die."

"Good luck with that."

"Oh, we all need it," Laura said. "But back to the ninjas. I can take Shane under my wing if you want, and Greg can help Tori. I think they should catch up easily, though they also may not. And I'll get Megan to shut up."

"I don't mind Megan so much. It's more that she's annoying Dad," Cam said. "And he doesn't get annoyed easily."

"Ah, yeah. That's a problem," Laura said. "I'll see what I can do. I think I may actually end up killing myself before this wedding happens. I mean, I've got classes to teach, I'm more than happy to help Shane, I've got to keep Megan from bouncing off the walls at the sudden realization that Tommy Oliver's actually going to be her uncle now, I've got to get the invitations done, I've got to…You really don't care about this, do you?"

"Not really, but if you want to vent, that's fine with me," Cam said.

Laura grinned ruefully. "Nah, I'll just vent at my sister. She did make me Matron of Honor after all. Which is weird because I figured Trini would be the Maid of Honor. Who knows what goes on in my sister's brain."

"I'll leave you to your planning then," Cam said.

"I'll tell Greg about Tori," Laura said before Cam closed the door. She looked back at her sheet. "I'm going to kill Kim for making do the seating charts. How on Earth am I supposed to put all the Rangers together without making it look suspicious to our parents? I mean, she's inviting the Lightspeed guys. How am I supposed to explain _that_ one? We can fudge the details about the Astros, but Lightspeed? And the Galactics? We are so going to die."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change:

"_So we've got everything that I can think of covered," Kim said, knowing Wes was about to get very grumpy very fast. "We really appreciate this guys. Now I have another big favor to ask you."_

"_What?"_

"_Help me figure out where to put the Galactics and Lightspeed and the Triforians and the Aquatians and the people from KO-35," Kim begged._


	30. Planning A Wedding Is Hard

Author's Note: Over on Livejournal ayuette is thinking about doing a Power Rangers rewatch. She has a poll up with three options for how to watch because we determined that if we watch 2 episodes a week it'll take over 6 years to get through it and if you watch an episode a day it'll take just over 2 years. So please go check it out. The link is : ayuette . livejournal . com/92647 . html (spaces due to the fact that doesn't like links.)

And yes I reposted this chapter just to put this out there.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Planning A Wedding Is Hard  
(When You Have Less Than A Month)**

_Date: November 20, 2002_

All Tommy had heard from the kitchen for the last forty minutes was grumbling, muttering, and the sound of a pen scratching on paper.

Then there was a thunking sound and a muffled groan. "You all right Beautiful?" he called.

"No," Kim said piteously.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked as he walked into the kitchen. Kim was seated at the table, her forehead resting against the piece of paper she'd been writing on.

"I can't figure this out," Kim whined.

"Figure what out?"

"Seating arrangement."

"I thought Laura was doing that," Tommy said, sitting beside his fiancé.

"She was. But she told me she hated me and made me do it. Now she's doing the caterer."

"I thought Aisha and Rocky were doing that," Tommy said.

"Now they're doing the cake, which yes Trini was doing," Kim said. "Trini's now doing the bridesmaid's dresses with Ashley."

"And Ashley gave the groomsmen stuff to Cassie and Jason, right?" Tommy said. "That much I know." He did wonder how exactly they'd managed to rope all of their friends into helping plan their wedding. They really did have the best friends on the planet.

"Right," Kim said. "Andros and Zhane are working on transporting the guests to the wedding. They're going to bring the Galactic Rangers and hopefully the Aquatian Rangers and Billy—"

"Wait, the Aquatians are coming?" Tommy asked. "You do realize that they actually look like aliens, right?"

"Yes," Kim said with a grin. "But apparently they've got this great new holographic projection stuff to make them look a little more human. So Andros and Zhane are bringing all of them a day before the wedding and they – well hopefully Billy won't have to – leave like three hours after the wedding because of the water supply issues."

"What are Adam, TJ, and Carlos doing again?" Tommy asked. "There's too many things that we aren't doing ourselves."

"I know," Kim said. "They're working on the music. I think they're all going to DJ because they said they couldn't find any live bands that were worth it. Or maybe they said Zack was DJing it." She looked at Tommy. "Do you think we should have a meeting and figure out exactly what's going on?"

"Probably."

**********

A very large piece of poster board was attached to the wall of Cassie and Xaren's living room divided up into categories such as decorations, food, seating, location, legal stuff, reception, flowers, and more. All of the Rangers and non-Rangers helping get the Ranger wedding off the ground were gathered in the living room.

Tommy and Kim stood at the front of the room. "Hi guys," Kim said. "Thanks for coming. Um, well, we decided that we probably should figure out everything now. Or as much as we have done now anyways. So we're starting with the location and moving on from that."

"Okay, I got stuck with location, which was easy enough," Taylor said. "It's all secured and everything. Permits have been acquired and we're good to go on that front."

Kim went to the poster board and checked off "location."

"Flowers?" Kim asked. "Seeing as I've no idea who's doing that and I want input in that if nothing else. Well, other stuff too I guess."

"Uh, Kendall's doing the flowers," Danny said.

"Kendall?" Tommy asked, thinking that he'd managed to miss a Ranger somehow.

"Danny fell head over heels for her. She owns a flower shop. He told her he was a Ranger," Alyssa said. "And she said she'd be happy to help. Early December isn't busy, so she's good on it. She does want to meet with you and find out what ideas you had though."

"Great. One more thing to check off," Kim grinned.

"Rocky, Aisha, tell me you've got something on the cake," Tommy said.

"We've been scoping out places and found one we think you'll like," Rocky said.

"I already checked both of your schedules and you've got a meeting with them in a week," Aisha told them.

"I love checkmarks," Kim sighed. "Laura, that leaves you with catering, right?"

"Yup," Laura said. "You guys said you didn't want anything fancy, so Ernie's going to do it."

"Ernie's going to take on our wedding?" Tommy asked. "Isn't that a bit much for him?"

"He's going to have some helpers, but he says it should be fine," Laura said. "He needs to know what you want to do though, so you two need to drop by when you can."

Tommy, who was supposed to be taking notes, wrote that down. Kim glanced at his notepad and then did a double take. "Tommy, don't use your freaky shorthand please. I want to read them later."

"It's not freaky shorthand," Tommy said defensively.

"Yes it is," Hayley said.

"Gotta admit, bro, you don't know how to take notes in a language that everyone can read," Jason said.

Tommy looked down at his notepad with a frown. They were perfectly legible to him.

_CKE. _(a drawing of an unhappy clock) _7+_

_TK____E____YC____?_

(a poorly drawn daisy) _WFDGF? K_ (a really bad drawing of a cell phone) _WFDGF ?_

_AGP=C. _

_P=C_

"How is that not legible?" Tommy asked.

"What does P=C mean?" Kim asked.

"Taylor got the permits to have the wedding outside," Tommy said.

Kim rolled her eyes and went back to the poster board. "I'm doing the seating chart, which sucks, so I can ignore that for a moment. Tommy and I are doing the decorations, so moving on from that. Wait. Who's doing seating?"

"You mean real chairs?" Adam asked. "Nobody as far as I'm aware."

"I'm on it," Dana said. "And we'll be good."

"How are we doing on the transporting, Zhane? Andros?" Kim asked.

"We're going to be good," Andros said. "We took a quick trip to KO-35 last week. They're going to continue to send us information. The Triforians are coming too."

"Why are they coming?" Jason asked. "I'm the heir. Sort of."

"They said something about it being a Power Ranger thing," Zhane shrugged.

"Only Trey came to our wedding though, so who knows," Ashley said.

"Uh, what about the Aquatians water needs?" Trini asked

"I'm on it," Laura said. "Me and Zhane are taking care of all of the aliens' needs. And since I happen to teach at a school with a bunch of water ninjas, I'm taking advantage of it."

"That's fine," Kim said, marking it on the board. "Next is the music. Guys, what exactly is going on."

"The bands all sucked," Adam said.

"So Zack's going to DJ it," Carlos said.

"And Tanya's offered to sing some too," TJ added.

"And they're using my equipment from the Café," Hayley said, "seeing as it'll be closed all day."

"Okay then," Kim said. "What's next. Oh! Tuxes."

"The boys all have fittings scheduled for Friday," Cassie said.

"We do?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, you do. Even I knew that," Kim said. "Friday I've got a dress fitting."

"And all of the girls are going shopping for dresses," Ashley said. "Same place as Kim. This way the boys stay away from the girls. It all works out."

"Even though some of us already have dresses," Cassie said dryly.

"And I already have a tux," Zack said.

"You're going as moral support. Get over it," Cassie told him.

"Moving on," Kim said firmly before an argument could break out. "What about the reception? Tables, chairs, dance floor, buffet table, and so on?"

"I've got everything under control," Tanya said with a grin. "It's fun being famous sometimes."

"Yeah, but everybody thinks _we're _getting married," Adam said.

"So that's why I've been hearing rumors of you two on the news?" Dana asked.

"That would be why," Tanya said.

"And then people think _I'm_ getting married," Wes said. "As if."

Taylor and Eric exchanged a glance with one another. Wes was moderately bitter when it came to rumors of him dating. He was holding out for Jen, even if that meant he'd only get to have her in the afterlife. Eric wanted him to branch out, but Taylor (and the rest of the Rangers in fact) said he was an idiot for even mentioning it. Wes and Jen were going to be together some way or another. The Power wouldn't let them fall in love and then not do anything about it.

"So we've got everything that I can think of covered," Kim said, knowing Wes was about to get very grumpy very fast. "We really appreciate this guys. Now I have another big favor to ask you."

"What?"

"Help me figure out where to put the Galactics and Lightspeed and the Triforians and the Aquatians and the people from KO-35," Kim begged.

*********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change:

_o let us be married!_

_too long we have tarried…_

_kimberly ann hart _

_and _

_thomas james oliver_

_invite you to join them as they marry,_

_saturday, the fourteenth of december _

_two thousand and two_

_at one o'clock_

_(Sorry for the short notice, but the two can't wait any longer)_


	31. A Power Ranger Wedding In Angel Grove

Author's Note: WEDDING! Sorry, part of it's a bit of a cop out because I couldn't figure out what to do. And I'm working on the Ninja Storm finale as we speak!

Also: Props to hewhoreaps and Falcon4Crane who have reviewed _each and every chapter_ of this story. Thank so much guys! You're really the only regular reviewers I've had since the beginning. And props to PrincesaKarlita411 and sabina21 who've reviewed 18 and 19 chapters respectively. I really do appreciate the feedback and comments!

**Chapter Thirty: A Power Ranger Wedding In Angel Grove  
(Which Has Taken Ages And Ages To Happen As  
Everyone Has Been WAITING For This Day)**

_Date: December 14, 2002_

o let us be married!

too long we have tarried…

kimberly ann hart

and

thomas james oliver

invite you to join them as they marry,

saturday, the fourteenth of december

two thousand and two

at one o'clock

(Sorry for the short notice, but the two can't wait any longer)

**********

Trini Kwan was incredibly happy. This was quite possibly going to be one of the best days of her life. Her own wedding was going to rate higher than Kim's, but this day had been a long time coming.

"You do realize we're going to be late, right?" Jason asked. "We should have been here ten minutes ago."

"No we're not," she replied. "We're fine." She pulled into the parking lot and turned off the car. "Okay, you go find Tommy and the boys, I'm off to find Kim and the girls."

"All right," Jason said. "Go get even more beautiful than you are."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked teasingly. "Go. Love you," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Love you too," Jason said.

The two got out of the car and split up, Jason heading off towards the Groom's tents and Trini heading off towards the Bride's tents. Tommy and Kim were getting married in the Angel Grove Park seeing as how symbolic it was for them and the rest of the team. In fact, they'd arranged it so that they were going to say their vows in the exact same spot that Tommy had asked Kim out for the first time.

Trini entered Kim's tent and snickered. Megan was going to be the flower "teen" for the wedding and at the moment she was bouncing up and down while Laura tried to calm the girl down.

"You _have_ to calm down, Megan."

"But Aunt Kim is getting married! Do you have any idea how exciting this is?" Megan whined.

"I think I do seeing as she's my younger sister," Laura said.

"But she's marrying _Tommy Oliver_. That is incredibly important. They're like destined or something. It's like all that ninja mate stuff you keep talking about. Soulmates! And they're getting married!"

"If you're going to get excited about soulmates, why didn't you freak about Ashley and Andros?" Trini asked as she found her dress on the rack.

"Cause they aren't as epic," Megan pouted. "This is more epic. It's like the most epic wedding to ever happen. Well, unless Jen manages to come back. But I'm going to be the Official Power Ranger Historian and Liason to the Public. So I can get excited about what I want to. _And_, I should be invited to all of the historic moments including weddings." She stared meaningfully at Trini.

"Yes, you are invited," Trini smiled.

Laura looked surprised. "Jason asked you to marry him?"

"No," Trini said. "The man's too dense to do that. And the Mighty Morphing made a pact that nobody would get married before our beloved Pink and Green."

"So we should expect lots of weddings?" Laura smirked.

"Oh yeah."

**********

Due to the fact that quite a number of Non-Rangers were attending the wedding the former Power Rangers had to be very careful about what they said. But with the amount of Power Rangers who came to support the "uber Power Ranger couple" (Megan's words) some things were accidentally said.

"Where is the Red?" Jason demanded of Tommy at the makeshift altar. "You said there would be Red!"

"What about it?" Tommy asked.

"You said there would be Red!" Jason said. "I get the Pink. I get the White. I get the Green. But _where_ is the Red?"

"Why would there be Red?" Tommy's mom asked in confusion. She thought the childhood theme of pink, green, and white was very fitting for the couple. They had met when they were still children in most senses of the word, Kim adored the color pink, and Tommy had gone though both white and green phases when he was dating her before their untimely little breakup (one that she still liked to ignore.)

"Because – because – because!" Jason said. "I want Red!"

"Have Red at your own wedding," Tommy said, knowing this would cause Jason to blush and mutter something about Trini and time and patience.

"Tommy?" his mother asked. "What does Jason mean about Red?"

"It's his favorite color. He's moderately insane about it," Tommy said.

David, who was standing nearby, merely snorted.

"Tommy doesn't need any red," Hayley said as she walked over to them. At their questioning glances she said, "I got kicked out. Apparently telling the bride that even if aliens do attack nothing will go wrong isn't okay."

"Kim thinks aliens are going to attack?" Tommy's mom asked. "I mean, it is Angel Grove, but there hasn't been anything here since the Astros were active."

"And just in case anybody does attack, you've got us," a voice said. Tommy's mom turned and was shocked to see Andros Darkover. She knew that Tommy and his friends knew him because they knew Ashley, but seeing him at her son's wedding was another thing entirely.

"Oh, well then," she said, thoroughly flustered.

**********

The entire wedding was gorgeous. Each bridesmaid came down the aisle wearing dresses in either pink, yellow, red in Laura's case, and the honorary blue in Hayley's case. Kim had been torn between choosing her sister and Trini as her Matron / Maid of Honor and Laura had gotten so fed up that she nominated Trini for the job. After all, it meant that she had less responsibilities to deal with. Watching Megan at what she referred to as "the epic wedding of epicness" was enough of a job.

Tommy and Kim said their vows to each other standing on the rock that meant so much to them. Their vows were simple, expressing the love they felt for one another and their desire to spend the rest of eternity with one another. The kiss they shared was brief, but full of love and passion for one another.

The ring Tommy slid on her finger was simple, but so totally Kim. It was a simple silver band with a small diamond on top. The clincher, however, were the two tiny, tiny pink diamonds set at the base of the diamond's mount on either side.

The ceremony seamlessly moved into the covered tents where the reception was being held. The bride and groom had only eyes for one another even as their friends and family congratulated them. Then it was time for the cake, which caused Trini to grin with smug anticipation.

The wedding cake was wheeled out and Kimberly promptly burst out laughing even as Tommy's jaw dropped. Over half of the wedding guests chuckled while the other half looked confused.

The toppers for the cake were not the standard bride and groom that had been ordered for the cake. In fact, they weren't even really a bride and a groom.

Trini looked thoroughly pleased with her handiwork. And, Kimberly supposed, she should.

On top of the cake two dolls stood. The Green and Pink Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers had been carefully placed on top, though Trini had done some editing to them. The Green Ranger now had a bowtie around his neck and a top hat glued on his helmet. The Pink Ranger had a white lace skirt on and a lace veil glued to her helmet.

"That's awful," Tommy said.

"That's perfect," Kimberly said. "And we are so keeping them."

*********

Trini and Laura surveyed the festivities as they sipped champagne as the reception trailed off into the later hours of the night. Some of the younger guests (anyone under the age of 10) were asleep on chairs inside the tent or grass outside of it. Other younger guests (such as Justin and Megan) were exhausted, but trying valiantly to fight that.

"I did good," Trini said.

"You did damn good," Laura agreed.

**********

_Author's Note: No real teaser for you guys because this officially ends Part 1! Part 2 consists of Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder, so be prepared for the onset of crazy! I won't dump you into the action straight away though, because honestly, Trini wants to get married first._


	32. Weddings, Weddings, And More Weddings

Author's Note: Part 2 of the saga has now begun.

PART ONE: Tommy and Kimberly - The Dating Years  
PART TWO: Tommy and Kimberly - The Married Years

Also, I don't think I've explained the concept of "Extras" yet. These are bonus stories that take place inside of the OLC universe, but don't directly tie into Tommy and Kimberly as a couple. Xaren and Cassie have one that I'm writing from way back in like chapter 10 when Xaren kisses her for the first time. There's also some other things I may have mentioned so far (like the girls attacking Rocky, Justin, and Adam during the "Forever Red" fiasco) as well as some for future couples and future events. I'll tell you when they're up.

And lastly (I promise) I think I'm taking a short break for a couple of weeks. Expect a chapter on October 9 next. So it's just a week.

**Chapter Thirty-One: Weddings, Weddings, And More Weddings  
(Mr. and Mrs. Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Desantos, Mr. and Mrs. Park, and Mr. and Mrs. Fieren)**

_Date: March 7, 2003; April 16, 2003; July 11, 2003; August 23, 2003_

Many Power Rangers thought it was amusing at how fast weddings were scheduled once Tommy and Kim were married. The majority of the later teams actually had no idea of the pact that the Mighty Morphin and Zeo teams had made with one another. When one took this into consideration, it did make a lot of sense. The idea of love at first sight might have seemed a little hokey to both the boys and girls alike, but there was no denying that it was true. Despite the fact that Trini had known Jason since she was in first grade, she had fallen for him that first day. She hadn't known she was in love until she was thirteen, but it had been love.

**********

The Kwan-Scott wedding was something that both families had been waiting years for. They had known, even if their children hadn't, that their children were in love with one another. Much like Tommy and Kimberly's wedding, Jason and Trini's wedding had been coming for a long time.

"Everyone may joke about me and Kim being thick about how much we were in love with one another and taking too long to get married and everything, but Trini and Jason were a whole lot thicker than us," Tommy said in his Best Man's toast. "Kim and I at least got together. Trini and Jason didn't get together until they went to Switzerland. And to watch them interact in high school, we knew they were head over heels for each other. It was kind of ridiculous that they refused to do anything about it. We're all incredibly glad that you guys did get together. And, as the most recently married here, may you have all the happiness that you can possibly imagine. _And_ I already called the name Zordon, so you two can have an Alpha."

**********

Rocky and Aisha had known each other for nearly as long as Trini and Jason, yet Aisha hadn't realized that she was in love with him until they and Adam moved to Angel Grove. Sure she dated other guys, but she was waiting for Rocky to realize that he was in love with her too. And then she completely relocated her life to Africa, causing everyone to get a headache trying to figure out exactly what had happened. At first, it was like she hadn't existed in Stone Canyon or Angel Grove at all. Over time people began to remember again, and it was like she'd lived in both Stone Canyon and Angel Grove, only to move one more time to Africa.

**********

"Rocky, Aisha, you two are my best friends. Well, two of them. You've been my best friends the longest, let's put it that way," Adam said. "We've been through a lot together. We all moved together, which turned out to be the craziest and best adventure of our lives. But seriously Rocky, you're an idiot. You've been in love with Aisha since you were eight. Why you didn't realize that until we were sixteen, I'll never understand. All I can do is thank God that you did realize it because I personally would have been collateral damage when Aisha knocked it into your skull. I'll wrap it up though and say that I'm incredibly happy for you two and I wish you all the best of luck in your married lives."

**********

Adam and Tanya may not have met until she was a Ranger, but it was instant attraction. Adam, of course, was too shy to do anything about it, preferring to sit in the background for a while. Tanya didn't think that the Green Ranger could ever like her, having taken his best friend's place on the team and essentially causing her to stay in Africa. It wasn't true, as Tanya later understood when Adam told her.

**********

"I honestly thought that Adam was going to be single forever," Rocky announced to the wedding party and guests. "He wasn't crazy – crazy about any of the girls that he dated. Then Tanya came to Angel Grove and I knew he was gone beyond all belief. If there's one thing that I'm glad came about right after Aisha left, it was that Adam found his other half, and yes I do understand exactly how cheesy that sounds."

**********

Xaren had no relatives due to the fact that Eltar had been destroyed. Because of this, Ashley had decided (along with the other Yellows and Pinks) that all of the Rangers would be his family. The only problem with the wedding was that the paparazzi wanted in on the second Astro Ranger wedding. They were only slightly put out that they hadn't been allowed to Andros and Ashley's wedding.

Of course none of the Rangers would allow for this to happen despite the fact that the wedding was being held on Earth.

**********

"Crasher at the B5 perimeter," a voice crackled over the radio.

"Send them to the holding area," Carter said into his radio.

Lightspeed Rescue had organized a perimeter around Cassie and Xaren's house and were patrolling to ensure that only authorized guests were allowed. Anybody that was considered uninvited (such as reporters and photographers) were immediately moved to the holding area. The only reporter that was allowed inside was Angela and that was only because she was Zack's girlfriend. The group had unanimously decided that she would be the only reporter allowed access to the Rangers whenever she wanted.

Granted, that was because she was dating Zack and she knew about all of the Rangers.

Carter was in charge of the security detail, but the other Lightspeed Rangers had help in organizing and controlling the paparazzi outside the house. In addition to patrolling the grounds outside of the house, LSR was also patrolling the skies above, though Taylor's Eagle Zord was helping out with that.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to today to celebrate the union between this man and this woman. Time may have separated their births, and distance may have separated their hearts, but today they will become one."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

_The minute that Megan Wright returned to the Wind Academy from her shopping spree, she felt like her heart was going to stop. There wasn't an Academy anywhere to be seen. She dropped her shopping bags with a thud and stared in horror at the rubble decorating the once pristine grounds._


	33. Ninjas Attack!

Author's Note: And Ninja Storm has officially begun people! It's not going to take as long as Dino Thunder will, but it's still going to be interesting and fun. Because I started watching again during Ninja Storm, so it has a special place in my heart. Plus, it's ninjas. How are ninjas not cool?

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Ninjas Attack!  
(Or One Does Anyways)**

_Date: August 27, 2003_

The minute that Megan Wright returned to the Wind Academy from her shopping spree, she felt like her heart was going to stop. There wasn't an Academy anywhere to be seen. She dropped her shopping bags with a thud and stared in horror at the rubble decorating the once pristine grounds.

"Mom?! Dad?! Cam?! Sensei?!" she cried out in fear. "Anybody?"

She scrambled across the rubble, heading for where the Academy itself once stood. Her eyes welled up and a few tears trickled over.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Megan? Megan, is that you?" a voice called.

"Cam?" Megan cried out in relief. "Cam, where are you?"

"Here," Cam called, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh God Cam," Megan said, climbing over to him.

"Where were you?" Cam asked.

"I was shopping! Where is everything and everyone and where the hell are my parents and what the hell happened?" Megan babbled.

"Come on," Cam said quietly. "I'll explain in a second."

**********

The doorbell to the Oliver Residence – and didn't that thought still make Kim smile goofily – rang and Kim went to it. "Megan?" she asked in surprise at finding her niece on her front porch.

"Hi Aunt Kim," Megan said with a slight tremble in her voice and a sheen to her eyes.

"Come in, what's wrong?" Kim asked, ushering her niece in.

"Uhm, there's a problem," Megan said as the two walked into their kitchen. "And you might want to sit down for it just so you can leap up in a rage."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "Am I going to need Tommy?"

"Probably," Megan said after a minute.

"One second. Help yourself to some food if you like," Kimberly said as she left the kitchen.

Tommy was generally down in the lair these days, so Kimberly headed there first. "Hey Beautiful," Tommy said when he heard her coming down the steps. He turned and walked to her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "What's up?"

"Megan's here," Kimberly said.

"Are Laura and Greg here too?" Tommy asked.

"No, just Megan. Something's wrong though. She seems upset and nervous," Kimberly said.

"Did she tell you what the problem is?" Tommy asked curiously.

"No. She said to get you though. Actually, she told me to sit down so that I could leap out of it in anger. And then she said that I should get you," Kimberly said.

"Well let's find out what happened then," Tommy said.

When they returned to the kitchen, Megan was seated at the table staring ferociously at a glass of water that looked like it hadn't been touched. "Hey Meg," Tommy said.

"Hi Uncle Tommy," Megan said.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"A whole mess of things," Megan said.

"Tell us," Kimberly said.

"Okay. Well, I was shopping this morning because I didn't have classes at the Academy and Daddy gave me his credit card. When I got back to the Academy after being at the mall, there wasn't any Academy left. It had all been destroyed and no one was in sight," Megan said, staring at her glass of water and avoiding the gaze of her Aunt and Uncle.

"The Academy was gone?" Kimberly asked with a catch in her throat.

"All of it. I thought everybody was gone, but it turns out that Cam and Sensei Kanoi hadn't vanished. Tori, Dustin, and Shane were late to class so they're fine too. All of the other ninjas on the planet were kidnapped and the Academy was destroyed. A severely bad guy did it," Megan said.

"Are you telling me that my sister has been kidnapped?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah," Megan said.

"Who did it?" Tommy asked with a serious frown. "We can get them back. We've got resources."

"I know we have resources, Uncle Tommy," Megan said. "But this was an evil space ninja named Lothor."

"Do we need to call in the Ninjetti? Or any of us with powers still?" Kimberly asked.

"We have new Power Rangers," Megan said.

"New Power Rangers?" Tommy asked.

"Tori, Dustin, and Shane," Megan said. "The Ninja Storm Rangers. The Wind Academy had morphers apparently."

"Where are the ninjas?" Kimberly asked.

"They're on Lothor's ship," Megan said.

"My sister is on some evil space ninja creep's ship in space?" Kimberly asked. Megan nodded. "I am so calling Cassie."

She turned and grabbed the phone, dialing it.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked Megan, sitting down at the table.

"I'm fine," Megan said, though there was a tremble in her voice. "I just … Mom and Dad are up on a ship and the Academy's gone and all of my crap was in it and Cam's dad's a guinea pig …"

"What?" Kimberly and Tommy asked.

"Cam's dad is a guinea pig?" Tommy continued.

"Lothor sort of attacked Sensei Kanoi and then he magically turned into a guinea pig," Megan said.

"Stranger things have happened," Kimberly sighed. "Oh, hey Cass. It's Kim. When's _The Astro Megaship II_ or _The Karovian_ due back to Earth? Not for three months?! My sister's on an evil space ninjas space ship! What about Xaren's ship? What do you mean it's broken? Evil space ninjas attacked Earth and are going to continue attacking! My sister and brother-in-law have been kidnapped! No, Megan's physically fine but I'm not sure mentally."

"Is she pregnant?" Megan hissed. "Cuz she's acting totally hormonal. Though technically that doesn't hit until the second or third month."

"No," Tommy said, though he darted a quick look at Kim before shaking his head.

"Grr. We must send a message to Andros and Zhane. I _need_ to get my sister back on Earth," Kimberly said. "Okay, thanks. I'll call you later with more information."

Kimberly hung up the phone and turned to Megan. "Okay, if the Academy's gone and your parents are MIA, where are you staying?"

"There's a lair of sorts below the Academy that managed to be fine after the attack and Cam's staying down there. They have a couple of rooms that are in case of emergencies. Sensei Kanoi offered to let me stay there," Megan said.

Kimberly glanced at Tommy, who seemed to share her sentiments. "You are not going to stay in an underground bunker, Megan," Kimberly said. "You're going to stay here, with us."

"Really?" Megan asked, looking up at Kimberly and Tommy in surprise.

"Really," Kimberly said. "We're family."

"What are we going to tell people?" Megan asked.

"That your parents are on an extended trip," Tommy said. "It's the catch all excuse. Sort of like camping trips for long missions."

"And what are we telling Grandma and Grandpa? Well, all four of them. Six if you count dad's parents," Megan said.

"Uh, I'll figure that out later," Kim said. "Do Greg's parents know about the ninja thing?"

"Nope. Which is why we always go to their house instead of them coming to us," Megan said.

"I'll tell them something. If I have to, I'll get Trini to help brainstorm – ooh! Trini!" Kim said before darting towards the phone again. "Oh! And Billy! And the Galactics! People with ships!"

"Okay," Megan said slowly. "I'm going to need to go shopping. Again."

Kimberly turned and grinned. "Oh, that's fabulous. We are going shopping _now_. But after I call Trini. Who needs to tell Billy. And contact the Galactics for me while we shop," Kimberly mused thoughtfully. "Do you think your friend Tori is busy?"

"Tori doesn't really like shopping. Especially not the way you shop," Megan said, a slight smile on her face.

"Try anyways," Kimberly said.

"Okay," Megan said. She rummaged around in her bag for her phone, but couldn't find it. "Shoot. Phone's in the car." Kimberly handed her the cordless phone and Megan dialed, Kim using her cell phone to call Trini. "Hi Tori," Megan said as Kimberly dragged Tommy out of the room.

"You need to get the guest room ready for her while we're shopping," Kimberly told Tommy.

"All right," Tommy said.

"I really want to know how she feels," Kimberly said. "I can't get a handle on what she's really feeling."

"I don't know either," Tommy said.

"Tori said she can come," Megan said from inside the kitchen.

"Good. Oh, hold on. Hey Trini. So guess what major catastrophe happened now. My sister has been kidnapped by evil space ninjas along with the rest of the ninjas on the planet. Mostly. Megan, Cam, Cam's dad, and Megan's three friends are fine. But other than that they're gone. And Megan's staying with me and Tommy. And you've got to call Billy and the Galactics because Andros and Zhane are on KO-35 for ages and Xaren's ship's broken and Cassie's calling Ashley who's going to tell the others and I really need to get my sister un kidnapped. Okay, thanks." Kim hung up the phone and turned to Megan. "Let's go."

**********

"Hello Mrs. Hansen," Kimberly said as Tori's mother opened the door.

"Hello," she said curiously. "And you are?"

"This is my aunt, Kimberly Oliver," Megan said. "Tori said she could come shopping with us."

"Oh, of course," Mrs. Hansen said. "Let me go get her." Mrs. Hansen vanished for a moment and then Tori appeared.

"Hey Meg," she said, looking slightly worried. "See you mom!" she called, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm going to be I guess," Megan sighed.

"And besides, I know people with spaceships," Kim said.

"What?" Tori asked in surprise.

"Oh, I never mentioned it, did I?" Megan said.

"Why wouldn't you? You go to ninja school," Kim said.

"Yeah, but people don't really believe in Rangers there for some reason," Megan said. "So Tori, I'd like you to meet the original Pink Power Ranger."

"_What?_"

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_I'm Eric. Eric McKnight," the boy said. "Hi."_

_Megan giggled at him. "Hi yourself."_

"_You want to sit with me for lunch?" Eric asked. "Well, me and my brother anyways."_


	34. Reefside High

Author's Note: Wow, is it Friday already? I can't believe that. Anyways, it's time for Reefside High School. Fun stuff, eh? Guess who the boy in the title is. Now see if you're wrong.

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Reefside High  
(Megan Meets A Boy And Her Day Becomes Loads Better)**

_Date: September 6, 2003_

"She's going to be late," Tommy said absently.

"Since when are you ever aware of time?" Kim teased.

"I am an adult. I need to be aware of time," Tommy said.

"Then why does it take longer for you to get ready than me?" Kim asked. "Megan! Get your butt down here! You're going to be late!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Megan yelled, running down the steps and skidding into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple and an orange, shoving the orange into her bag and taking a bite out of the apple. "Bye! Back later!" She darted out of the room, Kim following.

"Is she always like this?" Tommy asked curiously. "Because she's worse than I used to be."

Kim ignored him. "Have a good first day," she called instead as Megan headed towards her car. "Make new friends!"

"Oh so stereotypical, Aunt Kim!" Megan called back. She got into her car and rested her head against the steering wheel. "God I wish I'd taken up the offer with Cam's dad right about now. Blue Bay High, I never thought I'd say this, but I so wish I was back there." She sighed and turned on the car. "Here goes."

15 minutes later she was in the Reefside High School parking lot. "Oh God. Don't want to be here at all." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Tori. Panic! Total panic! And not in the good way!"

"Chill," Tori said on the other end. "Just relax. You'll do fine. It'll be okay."

"But I want to be back at Blue Bay High! Lothor totally sucks and I hope you kick his ass good and well."

"We'll try. Now we've both got to get to school. Come by later."

"All right. See you after school. You meant the Academy, right?"

"Yeah, now go. And remember to relax."

"Fine. Bye."

**********

Her day was going fairly well until she realized that she would have to find somewhere to eat for lunch. At Blue Bay High she'd just eat with Shane, Dustin, and Tori if not the other ninjas from the Wind Academy. But now she didn't even have any of the Earth Academy ninjas to sit with as they were all stuck in Lothor's ship.

"I am totally going to kill him," she sighed. The bell rang for lunch and she headed to her locker to grab her stuff. She slammed it shut and turned to go. As she turned, she bumped into someone, sending her bag flying.

"Oh man! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" a boy asked as she bent down to grab her bag.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Totally cool," Megan said even though she was fairly embarrassed and she was pretty sure she was blushing. She grabbed her bag and stood up, only to see a tall guy with close cropped dirty blonde hair and startling green eyes.

"Wow," he said. "Hi. Are you new?"

"Uh, yeah," Megan said. "I'm Megan Wright. Just moved to town."

"I'm Eric. Eric McKnight," the boy said. "Hi."

Megan giggled at him. "Hi yourself."

"You want to sit with me for lunch?" Eric asked. "Well, me and my brother anyways."

"Sure," Megan said, following him to the cafeteria.

"My brother's Conner. We're twins."

"That's cool," Megan said.

Conner and Eric turned out to be identical twins, but Conner had longer hair and seemed to be a little ditzy, so to speak.

"Hey, new girl," Conner said as she and Eric sat down.

"Conner, this is Megan Wright. She's new in town," Eric explained.

"What brings you to town?" Conner asked, leaning forward towards her.

"Eh, you know. My parents are on a trip for a while so I'm staying with my Aunt and Uncle until they get back," Megan said, going with the cover story that she and the Mighty Morphin and ninjas had come up with.

"Do you think I'd know them?" Eric asked.

"They've only been living here for a couple years, but my aunt runs Crane Gymnastics," Megan said.

"Is your aunt good at gymnastics?" Conner asked.

"She's Kimberly Hart. Well, Oliver now," Megan said.

"Who?" Conner asked.

"Kimberly Hart. She won a Silver and a Bronze at the 1996 Pan Globals," Eric said. "Wasn't she going to be an Olympic contender?"

"Yeah, but she decided Uncle Tommy was better than the Olympics," Megan said.

"So she's good?" Conner asked.

"Yes, she's good," Megan said with a grin.

**********

Kim's lunch was not exactly going as well as Megan's was. An hour after Megan had left for school Kim had headed out to Angel Grove for a planning meeting with Trini, Cassie, and Xaren regarding Lothor. So far nothing could be done for Xaren's ship. The parts needed for it could only be found on Eltar and well, it was clearly apparent that those parts weren't going to appear unless time travel was involved.

"So, it's broken forever?" Cassie asked.

"I think all you're going to be able to use it for is a secret hideout, storage, and teleportation," Trini said. "I'm sorry Xaren."

Xaren sighed and ran a hand over the console. "It's all right. This ship is quite old, after all. I never imagined it to actually last as long as it has. But I will miss it."

Cassie laid a hand on her husband's back comfortingly. "Just think," she said. "We can hide from the kids in here when they're yelling and screaming."

A faint smile touched Xaren's face. "That is true," he said.

"You're pregnant?" Kim asked.

"Oh, no," Cassie said. "Not for a while yet." She shared a glance with Trini.

Kim frowned at the two of them for a moment. "Trini. Did you make a baby pact too?" she asked.

"No, why would we do that?" Trini asked, heading out of the ship.

"You did, didn't you?! Trini! Stop making pacts that revolve around me and Tommy doing something first! If somebody else wants to have kids before me and Tommy they can! It's not fair to them and it pisses me off!"

"I didn't make any pacts," Trini said calmly.

The sound of the two bickering friends faded away from the cockpit. Xaren looked at his wife. "Should I ask?"

"No," Cassie said. "There are some things that the boys just shouldn't know about. Because somebody's going to end up telling Tommy somewhere down the line. And I don't think he wants to know about that."

**********

"Tori!" Megan yelled, running into Ninja Ops. "Tori! Tori! Tori!"

"She's not here," Cam said from his seat at the computer. "So could you stop shouting?"

"Where the hell is she then?" Megan pouted, sitting on a couch.

"Battle," was Cam's succinct answer.

"But I need her _now_," Megan whined.

"What is the matter?" Sensei Kanoi asked from his position near the computer.

"School, my parents are gone on a spaceship, my aunt and uncle, school, boys, etc," Megan said.

"I do not want to hear about boys," Cam said quickly.

"I wasn't going to tell you anyways," Megan said. "Is the monster gone yet?"

"No. Do your homework," Cam said.

"You're a mean fake older brother. I hope you know that," Megan said, but plopped down on the couch and opened her backpack. "Tell me when the monster's gone. Kay? Thanks."

"You are beyond strange," Cam said.

After twenty minutes Cam announced that the monster was gone. "Good. They had so better get back here soon."

"They will," Cam said. "Generally it only takes them about ten minutes to get back here."

"Blegh. Don't want to wait ten minutes," Megan mumbled.

"I really don't understand you," Cam said.

"Nobody understands me at all," Megan said happily. "Okay, Uncle Zack understands me but that's about it."

"Is he working on any films at the moment?" Cam asked.

"Uh, some movie with the words 'Dragon,' 'Fire,' and believe it or not, 'Pizza' in the title," Megan said. "Other than that I don't know."

"Dragon Fired Pizza?" Cam suggested.

"Wasn't there some _Bailey School Kids_ book along those lines or something? And I highly doubt that it's an action movie anyways.. And I didn't know that you liked Uncle Zack's movies," Megan commented curiously.

"You never asked," Cam said. "I think they're fine. They generally follow martial arts rules as well as being physically possible."

"That would be because he does martial arts and knows Ninjetti," Megan grinned. "I think we'd all hurt him if he didn't do it correctly."

"Megan?" Tori asked from the stairs.

"Tori!" Megan chirped, hopping up. "Oh my God you will never guess what happened!"

"What?" Tori asked.

"Boy. Cute boy," Megan said.

The boys in the room immediately tuned the girls out as even the not so girly Tori began questioning Megan on everything that had occurred with said boy throughout the day.

"What is up with those two and boys?" Shane asked as he collapsed onto the couch.

"They're girls man, what other reason do you need?" Dustin asked.

"Shut up Waldo," Megan said without looking at him.

**********

"You seem to be in a good mood," Kim said as Megan walked in the door, humming a cheery tune under her breath. "Guess you had a better day than I did."

"Met a boy," Megan grinned at her aunt.

"Oh, do tell," Kimberly said. "Come. Kitchen. Now."

Megan and Kimberly headed into the kitchen. "So, his name's Eric McKnight and he's got a dopey twin brother who's actually kind of annoying. But Eric seems really nice. One of the two of us bumped into each other and sent my books flying and he helped me pick them up and asked if I wanted to sit with him for lunch. He's also in a couple of my classes."

"Is he cute?" Kimberly asked.

"Oh, he's so totally adorable," Megan grinned.

"Do you want to see him again? And not necessarily in the respect of dating," Kimberly said.

"Uh, yes to both," Megan said.

"That's great," Kimberly said, hugging Megan tightly. "I'm so glad you found someone here that you like!"

"But no girlfriends," Megan pouted. "Though Tori and I are still going to hang even if she's saving the world from evil."

"I'm surprised they don't have two girls," Kimberly said as she sat down at the table. "There has never been a team with only one girl on a team before."

"I know," Megan said. "And they've only got three people."

"That's another strange one," Kimberly said. "I mean, Cole's team started with Taylor and then got other people as it went along, so maybe it's like that."

"But their villain didn't show up until there were more people on the team," Megan said. "So it's totally confusing me."

"Maybe it's a new type of team," Tommy said, having caught the last part of their conversation.

"But every other team has been pretty standard so far," Kim said.

"Five Rangers in your primary colors, two girls and three guys, and then a male sixth Ranger typically in either a primary color or a completely random one in the case of Zhane, Xaren, and Magna Defender," Megan said.

"Turbo didn't have a sixth," Tommy said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I still consider you the sixth for all of the teams you were on, regardless of the fact that you lead most of them. And Xaren was sort of the sixth," Megan said.

Tommy stared at Megan for a minute before saying, "You really are crazy."

"Yup!" Megan grinned before heading upstairs.

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

"_The wedding's in two days. Why do you need to hurry?" Dustin asked._

"_Because it's in England," Megan explained._

"_Shouldn't you guys have left like three days ago then? Or do you want to be jet lagged?" Shane asked._

_There was another click on the line and Kim said, "Megan, Ashley says they're beaming us up and over in ten minutes."_

"_Beaming?" Dustin asked. "Like in Star Trek?"_


	35. Thunder Rangers

Author's Note: Oops. Guess who forgot to post. Twice. Sorry!

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Thunder Rangers  
(Tori Enjoys Calling Megan To Give Her An Update On  
Everything Pertaining To Blake Bradley)**

_Date: November 1, 2003; November 3, 2003; November 10, 2003; November 15, 2003_

"Megan! You've got a call from Tori!" Kim yelled up the stairs.

"Coming!" Megan said. She came down the stairs and grabbed the phone. "Hey Tori. What's up?"

"What did you say about the Ranger love thing?" Tori asked.

"Why?" Megan asked warily. "You didn't go and fall in love, did you?"

"I don't know," Tori moaned. "I mean, Blake was all nice and sweet and caring and he saved me but it was just to trick me and then he was all evil and working for Lothor and then it turned out Lothor lied and so now he's gone!"

"Hold on. Repeat that, but slower," Megan said. "I caught about every fourth word."

"Dustin introduced us to these two guys, Blake and Hunter Bradley. They're both into Motocross, which is how he met them. Blake and I immediately started talking and stuff and we got along great. And that day these two new Rangers showed up. Only they were evil. Then Blake goes and protects me from this dumb monster that was attacking. I thought he was really hurt, but apparently he wasn't. I took him to the waterfall outside of the Academy because I did really think that he was hurt. He wasn't though. He used me to find out how to get into the school."

"Uh, why?" Megan asked.

"I'll get there. He got into the school and kidnapped Cam. Apparently Lothor was telling Blake and Hunter that Sensei Kanoi had killed their parents. This, of course, never happened and the two found out that Lothor really was lying to them the whole time. They're gone now. Blake said that they need to figure out what to do now."

"Okay. You like Blake. You have a crush on Blake?"

"Yes," Tori said. "And I don't know what to do about it."

"Did he say anything about coming back?" Megan asked.

"I don't know if he will," Tori said. "I mean, he's a Power Ranger so he has to help eventually, right? I mean, there's that whole duty to the Earth deal."

"The two are Power Rangers?" Megan asked. "Wow. You two probably did do the whole fall in love thing. Though I don't know how exactly that works with you two."

"I did? Oh dear," Tori sighed.

"I'm sorry if that bugs you, but feasibly you didn't fall for him. I can't really tell about the whole 'love at first sight' deal until afterwards. Generally it involves people getting married," Megan said.

"Ugh," Tori said. "I hope he comes back."

"I hope he does too. I want to meet him," Megan grinned.

After the two girls finished chatting for a while they hung up, Megan headed downstairs. "We've got two new Ninja Rangers!" she called.

"I was wondering how exactly their team was going to work," Tommy said from his place on the couch, some NASCAR race on the TV.

**********

"Megan! Tori's on the phone!" Kim called.

"Tell her I'll call her later!" Megan called back. "We're sort of in a hurry, remember?"

Kimberly grinned and yelled, "Tommy won't be ready for another twenty minutes. Remember how he's chronically late?"

"Hey!" Tommy shouted from the basement. "That's not true!"

"So is," Megan said as she came into the hall. "Phone."

Kimberly handed over the phone and went downstairs to try and hurry her husband along.

"Hey Tori," Megan said. "We are sort of in a hurry because we're already late."

"For what?" Tori asked.

There was a click on the line and Dustin said, "Is that Megan?"

"Don't you call her often enough?" Shane asked having apparently already been on the line.

"Hey guys," Megan said. "And to answer Tori's question, my aunt Kat's getting married in two days. So we're trying to leave before too long. Though Uncle Tommy's never on time for anything."

"The wedding's in two days. Why do you need to hurry?" Dustin asked.

"Because it's in England," Megan explained.

"Shouldn't you guys have left like three days ago then? Or do you want to be jet lagged?" Shane asked.

There was another click on the line and Kim said, "Megan, Ashley says they're beaming us up and over in ten minutes."

"Beaming?" Dustin asked. "Like in _Star Trek_?"

"Somehow I doubt that," Shane said.

"Sort of, but not," Kim said. "It's just teleportation. Anyways, Megan'll call you as soon as we're in England."

"All right," Tori said. "But we really do need to talk, Meg, kay?"

"Got it. Is this a no boys allowed sort of convo?"

"Yeah," Tori said.

"Hey! I want the scoop on Tori's love life!" Dustin said. "I have to listen to Megan prattle on about this Eric guy, so why can't I hear about Tori?"

"Because she'll kick your ass. Or drown you," Megan said. "Okay, I gotta go, bye."

**********

Megan was doing homework when Tori called again. "Hello?"

"Megan!" Tori chirped.

"Yeah Tor?"

"Guess what!"

"Dustin's magically become the Pink Power Ranger," Megan said, not quite paying complete attention.

"No, but that would be funny," Tori said. "Blake and Hunter are back!"

"They're back?" Megan asked, the pencil she was using dropping from her fingers. "Does this mean I get to meet them?"

"Well maybe. They sort of went evil again because they got brainwashed. Which wasn't cool."

"Brainwashing is a hazard of being a Power Ranger," Megan sighed. "Uncle Tommy was brainwashed by Rita Repulsa, Aunt Kim and Uncle Jason were brainwashed by Maligore, so yeah, you're going to know someone who was brainwashed."

"Anyways, Blake and Hunter were evil and did try to destroy us some more. Then it all worked out and they became unbrainwashed. We offered them a spot on the team, but they have to think about it."

"Can you start at the beginning?" Megan asked.

"Okay. I was borrowing Dustin's bike and I was riding in the woods. Blake caught up with me and told me that he and Hunter had a way to get into the ship. I told the gang back at Ops, but when Hunter and Blake managed to get up into the ship it was a trap and they got brainwashed."

"Okay, I've got you so far," Megan said.

"After they were brainwashed they came back and totally ended up dissing Dustin. Dustin was coming to tell us when there was a monster attack. We went to go take down the monster and Blake and Hunter showed up. They started to attack us, but stopped after Blake's head started to hurt. Apparently the brainwashing was fading."

"Because of _you_ maybe?" Megan teased.

"Don't say that," Tori said, and Megan could practically hear the blush over the phone. "Anyways, we were teleported to this island that wasn't on any map and was the cause of the freak cold front that showed up, apparently. It was Hunter's brainwashed fault."

"I was wondering why it got so freakishly cold all of the sudden," Megan mused. "That would explain it. And Hunter can teleport people to freaky islands?"

"Just the one. And I think it's in a slightly separate dimension. It was hard to get a hold of Cam from the island," Tori said. "Anyways. So we all got split up when we were transported there but we found each other eventually. Shane started yelling at me for believing in Blake and Hunter. Dustin made a crack about trading Shane for a Green Ranger instead. I think he meant your uncle," Tori said.

"You can't trade Shane," Megan said. "There have been occasions when there aren't any Green Rangers and there was a Black one instead, but there has _always_ been a Red Ranger. I do wonder if you'll get one though. There hasn't been one since Trip was a Ranger. Granted, that's just one team, but still."

"Can I continue?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Blake and Hunter found us and a fight broke out. During the fight Blake and Hunter's memories were returned to the two of them, but Chooboo-,"

"Who?" Megan asked.

"Chooboo, he's the one that started the whole mess. He told Blake and Hunter that he'd defected from Lothor's side."

"Got it. Continue please."

"So Chooboo put Hunter back under the spell, which made the two of them have to fight one another. We managed to save Blake before he was hurt too badly, but he was hurt so we had to take care of him. We started moving again and Hunter found us again. But Blake managed to snap him out of the spell and we defeated Toxicon with the Zords."

"Who's Toxicon?" Megan asked.

"The monster that Chooboo was using."

"Mkay."

"So after that we managed to come back. Blake and Hunter got hired at Storm Chargers as stock boys. And we offered them a place on the team, but they have to think about it."

"I am so coming over this weekened," Megan said. "And we are so talking about boys. A lot."

"Fine by me," Tori said. "I just really hope that they join the team. We're stronger as a group."

"But they're probably more used to being stuck together and relying on one another rather than anyone else," Megan said.

"Yeah, but they have us now," Tori said.

"I understand that," Megan said. "But do they?" The two girls chatted a bit more and hung up.

Megan wasn't expecting Tori to call again as they'd be together over the weekend, but Tori did in fact call back two days later. "They joined the team!" Tori squealed as soon as Megan picked up.

"Did they?" Megan asked. "I couldn't tell. Besides, Cam called an hour ago to tell me."

"Oh, he always spoils everything," Tori frowned.

"Get over it," Megan said. "Now is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"We have Thunderstorm Megazord," Tori said. "It's both of the Zords put together."

"Cool. I'll be there this weekend. We can talk then, kay? I have a test tomorrow."

"Fine," Tori sighed. "See you this weekend."

**********

Tommy wasn't too pleased with the idea of Megan driving to Blue Bay Harbor all on her own, but Kimberly said she'd be fine. Megan was in Blue Bay in no time at all. She headed straight for Storm Chargers as that was probably where everybody would be. And she was right.

"Hey Kelly," she called as she entered the store. "Dustin here?"

"Yeah. Long time no see, Megan," Kelly said.

"Been busy over in Reefside," Megan explained. "I'm still sort of adjusting to being at a new school even though it's been a couple of months."

"Is that Megan?" Dustin called from the back room.

"Yuppers," Megan called back.

Dustin came out of the back room and grinned. "Hey Meg."

"Hey you," Megan said with a grin of her own. "Do I get a hug?"

"Why not?" Dustin said, giving her a huge hug and lifted her off of her feet.

Megan giggled when he put her down. "So, do I get to meet these new friends of yours?"

"Sure. Blake! Hunter!" Dustin called. The two walked out of the back room and Megan grinned.

"What's up?" Hunter asked.

"This is Megan," Dustin said, one arm around Megan's shoulders. "She used to go to school with us last year before her parents went on a trip out of the country."

"So, who's who? Tori's told me all about you," Megan said. "Well, as much as she could cram into three or four phone calls, anyways."

"I'm Blake, he's Hunter."

"Ah. Makes sense," Megan said.

"Why?" Hunter asked.

"Color scheme and how they go with the skin tone and all that," Megan said.

Blake raised an eyebrow at that. "What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later. Swing by after work. Tori and I are going shopping and then I'm going to go attack Cam," Megan said.

"Fine," Dustin said. "We'll see you later then."

"Bye! Nice meeting you two. But we're so talking later. And then I'm explaining some stuff."

**********

"We haven't had girl time in a while," Tori said as she and Megan walked into the mall.

"Yeah, but you're busy saving the world and I'm busy trying to ignore the fact that my Aunt and Uncle are newlyweds still," Megan said.

Tori winced sympathetically. "We should get together more often. So, you have any girlfriends in Reefside?"

"Not really. Well, unless you count Hayley, but she's Uncle Tommy's friend from college. The only friends I have are Eric and Conner. And Conner is beyond strange," Megan said.

"So, what's happening with Eric?" Tori asked.

"Do you really want to go there? Because I can so whip out Blake on you."

"I actually want to talk to you about Blake, so yes, I do really want to go there," Tori said with a grin.

"I hate you sometimes," Megan sighed. "Eric's nice. And he's obviously got a crush on me. And I've got a crush on him. I'm just waiting for him to make the first move."

"Do you know how long it takes boys to make the first move?" Tori asked.

"Yeah, Tor. I have dated before, remember? And besides, it's sort of fun to watch Conner tease Eric."

"You're hopeless," Tori laughed.

"Very hopeless," Megan agreed. "Now let's go shop. And talk about boys."

**********

"Okay. Let me explain about the Power Rangers to you two as you missed my first talk," Megan said.

"How do you know enough to tell us about it?" Hunter asked. "You're not a Power Ranger. We're the Power Rangers. We know what it's like."

"Oh you are such a Red. This should be interesting," Megan said. "They have never been two Reds on the same team before. I mean, Eric and Wes aren't officially considered to be on the same team because Eric was working with the Silver Guardians most of the time and didn't even like them due to his insecurities for the majority of the time."

"Huh?" Blake asked.

"I know the Power Rangers," Megan said. "My aunt is Kimberly Hart who married Tommy Oliver. Aunt Kim's the original Pink and Uncle Tommy's the original Green and White as well as the third Red Ranger. He's commonly considered to be the most amazingly cool Power Ranger of all time."

"Yeah, don't know who he is," Hunter said.

"Looks like I'll have to start at the beginning. How much do you know about the Power Rangers?" Megan asked.

"They exist," Hunter said.

"There've been teams before who all have had to fight an alien force from taking over the Earth," Blake added.

"Right. Only one team wasn't faced with aliens, but rather demons that had been in the area before," Megan said. "But let me start at the beginning for Hunter's sake."

**********

"Can you believe they didn't know about Power Rangers?" Tommy asked later that night.

"Shane and Tori didn't believe we existed," Kim said. "Dustin did, but I'm pretty sure he thinks Batman's real too."

"Batman does exist!" Megan yelled from the kitchen.

"How can people not know that we're real?" Tommy huffed.

"Because it looked like a publicity stunt for Angel Grove," Kim said. "Why on Earth anyone would think that telling people aliens were trying to take over the world was a publicity stunt I'll never know."

"What about the Countdown?" Tommy asked.

"Blake and Hunter were in a ninja academy at the time. They probably didn't even get attacked," Kim said.

"I still don't think that it makes sense," Tommy grumbled.

"Get over it," Kim said. "Don't you remember that Jason, Trini, and Zack met people that didn't believe in us either while they were being all Teen Peacey?"

"Yeah, but they were in different countries. Blue Bay's like forty minutes away from Angel Grove," Tommy said.

"I do realize that," Kim said. "But you don't seem to realize that since the attacks originated in Angel Grove and stayed there for about five years that people aren't going to necessarily believe that we were real unless they saw it for themselves. You can't really not believe in Zords if you've seen one of the battles yourself."

**********

_Next Time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

Xaren and Cassie's kitchen had two of nearly everything, ovens, stoves, sinks, and fridges. Another fridge was out in the garage and the sheer amount of counter space that followed the edge of the room and the breakfast bar/island in the center of the room was amazing. Cassie and Xaren didn't really utilize the majority of it on a day to day basis, but found having all of the appliances really helped over the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the various other occasions they got together, such as birthdays or any random moment they felt like gathering. It did help that most of them lived within forty minutes of Angel Grove.


	36. Thanksgiving Is For ALL Of The Rangers

Author's Note: I apologize for the lack of updates. I also apologize for the upcoming lack of updates. The semester's winding down and I've got a 12 page paper to write and finals to study for. This is the last update until December 18 when I'll be done with all of that.

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Thanksgiving is for ALL of the Power Rangers  
(Even Though Some Really Do NOT Want To Come. *cough*Tommy*cough*)**

_Date: November 27, 2003_

"You have _so_ got to hurry up Uncle Tommy," Megan said. "We're going to be late."

"How are we going to be late? Dinner doesn't start until four. It's seven thirty in the morning," Tommy yawned.

"You're just not a morning person," Kimberly teased. "And we do want to get there early."

"Why?" Tommy asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Because I want to watch the parade," Megan said.

"The parade started hours ago," Tommy said. "It's on the other side of the country."

"They're DVRing it," Kimberly said to the both of them. "You'll be able to watch it all and pause and rewind and fast forward it."

"Doesn't matter. Uncle TJ said we were starting the parade at eight. We still have to drive to Angel Grove, okay?" Megan said.

"Sometimes I really regret agreeing to let you stay here," Tommy said.

"And sometimes I regret ever asking," Megan said, but shoved a travel mug of coffee in his hands. "We're leaving. Now. I want to see the Rangers."

"We haven't seen them in a while, Tommy," Kimberly said. "Now come on. I'll drive."

Tommy grumbled under his breath before taking a cautious sip of the liquid in his mug. It would be just like Megan to cause him to scald his entire mouth. But surprisingly the coffee was at precisely the right temperature.

The girl really was quite odd. One minute she seemed like she hated him and the next minute he was her favorite uncle – which was really something because until he'd married Kim the favorite uncle position had been tied by Billy and Jason.

Kim said it was because of Megan's parents being gone and Kim's own parents being so distant. At the moment, the Mighty Morphin, Zeo and Astro Rangers were the only parental figures that Megan had other than Sensei Kanoi and Haley.

Ooh. Haley as a parental figure. Now wasn't that an interesting concept. And a slightly disturbing one.

"Are you getting in the car or not?" Megan asked from the backseat, arms crossed defiantly across her chest and a frown marring her face.

Tommy shook his head free of thoughts of Haley reproducing – ick – and got in the car.

**********

Xaren and Cassie's home was actually a lot smaller than what they could afford with all of the money they'd been given for Cassie being an Astro Power Ranger (and presumably a Power Ranger for the whole time). They loved the house and had indulged on things _inside_ of it rather than the outward appearance.

The kitchen, for example, was designed specifically for days like Thanksgiving. As the Power Rangers greatly enjoyed their massive get togethers involving every team they could get, food was always mandatory. Especially with the sheer quantity of food that the Red Rangers would eat.

So Xaren and Cassie's kitchen had two of nearly everything, ovens, stoves, sinks, and fridges. Another fridge was out in the garage and the sheer amount of counter space that followed the edge of the room and the breakfast bar/island in the center of the room was amazing. Cassie and Xaren didn't really utilize the majority of it on a day to day basis, but found having all of the appliances really helped over the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the various other occasions they got together, such as birthdays or any random moment they felt like gathering. It did help that most of them lived within forty minutes of Angel Grove.

There were only a few cars already at the house, and Megan hopped out as soon as Kimberly put the car in park. Tommy was feeling only marginally better due to the caffeine he had ingested, but really, he was still pretty grumpy.

"Come _on_," Megan said. "Let's go in."

Tommy grumbled under his breath as he and Kimberly got out of the car. Whenever the gang got together to have a party, the front door of whatever house was never locked as ringing the doorbell got very tiresome to everyone inside the house after a very short while.

They went right in and headed for the kitchen as usual, where it seemed only the girls were located.

"Why are you already cooking?" Tommy asked as he headed straight for the industrial coffee maker that Cassie had bought for this exact purpose. Cassie, Tanya, Aisha, and Ashley were all in the kitchen preparing various foods.

"Because, you lunatic, there are a lot of things in the Thanksgiving dinner," Kimberly said.

"Parade?" Megan asked.

"Lounge," Cassie said, pointing in the direction of the lounge.

"See ya! Be back after the parade!" Megan said, heading out of the room.

"All the guys are in the lounge if you want to go there," Cassie said. "As soon as the game comes on they're switching the channel though." Tommy nodded, taking a fairly large cup of coffee with him.

The lounge was another indulgence on Cassie and Xaren's part. The flat screen TV that adorned the wall was flanked by speakers as a part of the surround sound system. There were plush couches and footstools for people to relax on.

Karone and Zhane (neither of whom could get enough of American and Earth customs) were snuggled up together in one of the oversized chairs. Andros and Xaren (who also couldn't get enough of American and Earth traditions) were sitting on one of the couches with TJ. Rocky and Adam were on another couch, looking thoroughly bored at the proceedings.

"When's the football going to start?" Rocky asked.

"After the parade dummy," Megan said, who was leaning against one of the couches.

"The parade's probably already over by now," Rocky said.

"And it's been DVRed, so shut up," Megan said. "You'll be able to watch all of it. I'm watching the parade. Now."

Kimberly, who was standing in the doorway said, "Let her watch, okay? Besides, _some_ people seem to want to watch it."

She turned and headed back to the kitchen. She understood Megan's need to watch the Parade completely. Despite the fact that the Hart family had lived on the other side of the country from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, they had woken up early every Thanksgiving to watch the parade from start to finish every year. It was a safe bet that Laura had continued that tradition with Megan.

This Thanksgiving had to be incredibly hard on her niece. Tommy seemed to understand, but she doubted the other Power Rangers fully got the gist of what was going on with Megan's parents. They understood that Laura and Greg had been kidnapped by the new bad guy on the scene. They just didn't seem to understand the scale of the kidnapping (namely all of the ninjas across the globe).

This was the first holiday (sans Halloween) that Megan had spent without her parents. It was a safe bet that she would be spending Christmas without them too. No bad guy had ever been defeated in just three or four months, so Megan's time without her parents was looking to be a long time unless Cam Wantanabe managed to find some way to release the ninjas from their captivity.

"How's she doing?" Tanya asked as Kimberly walked back into the kitchen.

"Who?" Kimberly asked. "Megan? She's doing fine."

"She's the reason I decided to have a Power Ranger Thanksgiving," Cassie said. "I figured if it was just you guys it would be awkward. If there are more of us here, it might be less so."

Kimberly could only blink at Cassie, slightly startled that she had thought of that. "Thanks," Kimberly said finally. "I was racking my brain trying to think of how to have Thanksgiving without her parents before you called. Originally before Lothor arrived on the scene, she and her parents were going to come for dinner and Christmas."

"What are you guys going to do for Christmas?" Aisha asked.

"I have no idea," Kimberly sighed. "I think I'm going to try to distract her with decorating. Hayley's going to try and help too. She's really a godsend. She even gave Megan a job at the café."

"She sounds really nice," Ashley said. "You should bring her by sometime for one of these things."

"I think it's weird having a non-Ranger knowing about us," Aisha said. "I mean, it's great that she's not blabbing our secrets and stuff, but it's kind of like we're breaking rules and stuff. I mean, one of Zordon's three rules was to not tell anyone about our secret identities." There was a noticeable pang in all of the women at the mention of Zordon.

"Oh, we didn't tell her anything," Kimberly said. "She saw us in our Ninjetti costumes when Dark Specter sent down all the minions. We became better friends after that. She didn't really know who the others were until Tommy had the guys over without my knowledge. Hayley and I were coming back from catching some chick flick Tommy refused to see when we found Zack – in full morph – dancing around the apartment completely out of his mind on Jolt and Red Pop. All of the guys had drank way too much of that. They're not allowed to drink it anymore or I'll kick their asses. I was horrified because Hayley was there and Jason, Tommy, Zack, Adam, and Rocky were acting like complete idiots. Luckily Hayley took it in stride."

"Rocky somehow neglected to tell me that," Aisha said.

"So did Adam," Tanya said.

"I don't think you guys were still dating then, Tanya. I think it was during the 'I want to focus on my career but I still love you Adam and we'll totally get back together' phase and I'm pretty sure you weren't dating Rocky then." Kimberly said.

"Oh, it wasn't like that," Tanya said, though she was smiling.

"If she wasn't dating Adam, I wasn't dating Rocky," Aisha said. "Adam apparently told Rocky to get his ass in gear. He asked Andros to teleport him to me. Idiot," she said fondly.

"But word of advice, don't let the men near highly caffeinated and sugared beverages. The Ranger metabolism stays with you even out of the suit and the caffeine and sugar have different effects on them than most people. I met Hayley because Tommy had some Jolt."

"Anybody here?" a voice yelled from the front door.

"In the kitchen Trini!" Kimberly called.

Trini and Jason appeared, Jason heading straight for the coffee much like Tommy had. "How's everybody?" Trini asked.

**********

The Thanksgiving setup was a very bizarre one that suited the bizarre group of friends perfectly. The main table was the large dining room table that normally seated six but with the extra two leaves now seated eight (ten if you wanted to squish). Off the ends of the dining room table (which had been moved outside to the surprisingly nice weather) were an odd assortment of card tables and longer multi use tables. The chairs ranged from folding chairs, the formal dining chairs, piano benches, and nearly anything else they could find. It was, in essence, a reflection of their personalities, preferences, and tastes in furniture format.

The food was a sight to behold on its own as well. Due to the sheer number of people who were going to be eating they had (and the number of Reds) they had five turkeys, each cooked differently, and two medium sized hams. Any side dish you could imagine being eaten at Thanksgiving had at least three serving bowls, sometimes more. There were four different types of bread, each in mass quantities. There were plenty of sodas for Megan and those who weren't inclined to drink (despite the fact that everyone would be staying the night _somewhere_ in the house or on _The Astro Megaship II_) as well as wine and beer.

All of the Rangers had plates filled with food and glasses filled with their drink of choice. Everyone was talking with one another about whatever crossed their mind. The evening passed at just the right speed, neither too fast nor too slow.

The deserts were presented and everyone was happily eating when Kimberly stood up and looked around at all of her friends and family. "Guys, Tommy and I have an announcement to make," she said.

"Tommy's a Power Ranger again?" Jason said, causing quite a number of people to laugh.

"I'm retired," Tommy said. "I'm not going to be on Active Duty again."

"Like that would matter," Zack said. "Tommy, you've been a Ranger for the longest out of any of us."

"Technically he's only been on Active Duty for the longest," Megan said. "You, Uncle Jason, Aunt Kim, and Aunt Trini have been Rangers the longest as you still can morph."

"Shut up," Zack said. "And that's supposed to be a secret anyways."

"Can I _please_ make my announcement now?" Kimberly asked impatiently.

"Sure, go ahead," Trini said.

"I'm pregnant," Kimberly said.

Immediately everyone started offering their congratulations. Trini shot up out of her chair and pulled Kimberly into a hug.

"Should we bet on colors now, or when the baby's born?" Megan asked.

"Only we would bet on colors when someone announces they're pregnant instead of betting on the gender," Kimberly grinned.

"Well it's a good point. We've got four colors out of the two of you," Aisha said.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change:_

"_It's Black Friday!" Kimberly chirped happily._

"_And we are so going to go maternity shopping," Trini said._

"_What's Black Friday?" Xaren asked._


	37. Black Friday

Author's Note: Sorry it's a day late! I'm hoping to post on Christmas, but I may end up posting a little early or on Saturday.

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Black Friday**

_Date: Friday, November 28, 2003_

The girls had informed the boys days before Thanksgiving that everyone was crashing at Cassie and Xaren's house the night of Thanksgiving. This caused the boys to become incredibly nervous, as they should have been.

**********

"Boys, are you ready?" Kimberly asked the morning after Thanksgiving at a very ungodly hour in the morning.

"For what?" Xaren asked.

"Uncle Xaren, I'm so sorry for what's about to happen," Megan said. "Okay. Everybody into the cars!"

"What's going on?" Xaren asked in confusion as Cassie herded him to a vehicle.

"It's Black Friday!" Kimberly chirped happily.

"And we are so going to go maternity shopping," Trini said.

"What's Black Friday?" Xaren asked.

"Stores go into major discount mode. How have you not come in contact with this yet?" Megan asked.

"Zhane knows what it is and he's never on Earth for Thanksgiving," Cassie said. "I was sure you knew what this was."

"Clearly I don't," Xaren said.

"Shopping," Tommy groaned. "Lots and lots and lots of shopping."

"Shut up," Kimberly teased. "You know you love it."

"Uh, I don't," Jason said.

"Neither do I," Megan said.

"Blasphemy!" Kim said. "You can _not_ be related to me and not like shopping."

"Mom doesn't like shopping," Megan said.

"Your mother's just as bad when it comes to shopping as her sister," Trini said. "How can she not like shopping?"

"She just doesn't," Megan said.

"Okay, daylight's wasting people!" Kim said. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"Oh yay," Tommy groaned.

**********

Two hours into the shopping expedition all of the boys wanted to call it quits. The mall was horrendously crowded and so far they'd spent all but a half an hour in just once maternity store. They had then quickly moved onto one of the five department stores in the Angel Grove shopping center.

"I think I'm going to die," Jason said.

"Why do I have to carry bags?" Adam asked. "Kim's Tommy's wife."

"If you didn't notice, that wasn't _just_ a store for moms," Tanya said. "Though I don't think it's fair that Trini shoved the bags at you guys."

"When's nap time?" Megan asked. "Or Cinnabun time? Cuz I need either sleep or sugary glaze."

"Same," Aisha yawned.

"How about Starbucks instead?" one of the girls asked from the front of their little mob.

"Nobody gets caffeine if I can't have any," Kim said. "That goes double for at home."

Megan and Tommy exchanged a quick, panicked look and began hissing at each other ways to sneak coffee into the house.

"We can hide it in the lair," Tommy said.

"Or my room. She never goes in there," Megan said.

"That's because it's in a constant state of mess," Tommy said.

"Ooh! We can use and abuse Hayley!" Megan said. "Hayley'll supply us if needed. And I can use Cam…"

The conversation was halted as Tommy got shoved to the side by a woman with a very desperate look in her eyes.

"This is why I hate shopping," he muttered.

"Question: Who's ready to head out?" Megan asked quietly once she was sure none of the other females were listening.

"I think the answer to the question is 'all of us,'" Zane said.

"And who has the keys to the cars?" Megan asked.

"Oh," Jason said slowly. "I've got mine. But it's the two seater."

"I've got the ones to the Jeep," Tommy said.

"Tanya's got mine," Adam said.

"Aisha's got mine too," Rocky said.

"So…That's eight of us in six seats," Megan said.

"I will gladly sit in the waay back of the Jeep if it means we leave," Rocky said.

"I'm calling TJ," Andros said. "And Carlos. One of them can come and get us."

"But that's like retreating," Zane said.

"And driving away isn't?" Xaren asked.

"That's escaping. It's like breaking out of jail," Zane said.

"Sure. Whatever," Xaren said.

Andros had dialed TJ's phone and was waiting for him to pick up.

"_Do you even know what time it is, man?"_

"The girls dragged us shopping. You've got to come pick us up. We've only got enough seats for six and we've got eight," Andros told him.

"We could always leave Megan here," Rocky suggested.

Megan punched him in the arm. "I'll blab and pretend it _wasn't_ my idea."

"_Whoa. I'm not getting in between you and the girls' Black Friday shopping. I remember how bad it was when Ash was in high school. You're just lucky she wasn't on Earth for Black Friday that year."_

"TJ, we need you to come pick us up. So can you?"

"_Sorry man, I can't. Ashley'd kill me."_

"TJ's a bust," Andros said as he hung up and began to dial Carlos.

Carlos, however, was even less willing to come and get them than TJ. After Andros explained the situation to him all he could do was laugh.

"So, now we vote on which two don't come with us," Tommy said. The eight began eyeing each other, trying to decide who would make the least fuss if they left them behind.

"Megan!" Kim called impatiently. "Come look at this!"

"We wait until they're done here," Megan said quickly. "Then we say we're gonna dump the bags in the cars but we split instead. We'll bum the keys off of Tanya or Aisha and we leave, got it?"

The boys nodded before Megan headed over to Kim and was forced to try on half a dozen outfits.

The next half hour passed by tortuously slow until Kim said, "Tommy, be a dear and take the bags to the jeep, would you?"

Tommy darted to his wife's side as the other guys started grabbing bags from their girlfriends or wives. "I got it Adam," Tanya said, heading towards the exit of the mall herself.

"No, seriously, let me help," Adam said, tugging at the bags. "You just…keep shopping…"

"You need another car to escape," Tanya said, causing the boys to shoot panicked looks at her. "And I want out of this madhouse."

"We'll be back!" Megan called and practically dragged Tanya and Adam out of the department store.

"Air! Fresh air!" Rocky said. "I can breathe again!"

"Cars. Now. Quick," Tanya ordered, sending everyone scrambling to the vehicles that were towards the back of the lot. Once the bags were stashed in the trunks they had a quick conference.

"What now?" Andros asked.

"We're so going to die," Zane said. "They're going to kill us."

"I'll tell them not to," Tanya assured them.

"What are we going to do?" Rocky asked.

"Movie?" Tommy suggested. "That'll keep us out of the way for a couple of hours at least."

"What movies are even playing right now?" Adam asked.

"Uh…_The Incredibles_ might still be in theaters. That was good. I saw that with the guys last week," Megan said. "Then _The Polar Express_ is in theaters. _Bridget Jones 2_, which I need to see, _Finding Neverland_ which I would recommend except for the fact that it's more guys than girls here, _National Treasure, The Spongebob Movie_--,"

"No!" Adam said quickly. "No Spongebob."

Megan grinned. "And _Christmas with the Kranks_ came out yesterday. _Ray, Surviving Christmas, Shall We Dance, Raise Your Voice,_ and _Shark Tale_ might still be in theaters," she continued.

"_The Incredibles_ is about the super heroes, right?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah," Megan said. "It's really good."

"Super heroes or stealing the Declaration of Independence?" Adam asked.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"_Cam ended up meeting Sensei in the past—,"_

"_What?!" Megan screeched. "You don't do that. Oh God. He totally just screwed up the timeline and we're all going to die and then Jen and Wes will never get married because there's the whole problem of the time stream being screwed up."_

"_Do you seriously listen to yourself speak sometimes?" Tori asked after a minute._


	38. Cameron Wantanabe Becomes A Power Ranger

_Author's Note: I am incredibly sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I'd love to thank the people that contributed to the 187 hits on the last chapter. I'm not though. I'm only thanking the 7 people that reviewed. Just kidding, I love you all and your patience with me. Total though I've had 22,018 hits on the story and 245 reviews. It really means a lot to me that you guys care about the story. 33 of you have me favorite and 48 of you have me on alert. An incredibly large amount of thanks go out to Falcon4Crane and Hewhoreaps for reviewing every chapter. Bonus, bonus thanks go out to Itachi's Apprentice for not only reviewing every chapter, but pretty much reading the entire story and reviewing every chapter of it this weekend. _

_Special mentions go out to Princessakarlita411 and Sabina21 who've reviewed 25 and 24 chapters respectively as they have the next highest amount of reviews. _

_Anyways, essentially I'd love to say thank you for all of the love you've been giving me. _

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Cameron Wantanabe Becomes a Power Ranger  
(And Megan Finds Out That Lothor's Her Fake Uncle)**

_Date: January 12, 2004_

Kimberly Oliver was getting used to the frequent calls from Blue Bay Harbor. Tori Hansen, Dustin Brooks, Cam Wantanabe, and even on occasion Shane Clark called at least once a week each. The only reason they called the house was because Megan never charged her cell phone so it was off the majority of the time. Kimberly did like Megan's friends from Blue Bay and found them to be very polite. And Megan seemed happier when they called, so it all worked out.

She was fairly certain that Tori and Cam – no she _was_ certain – that they called so often because they wanted to keep Megan alert to how soon Lothor would be defeated. Dustin just liked to "geek out" to Megan (Megan's words) about all of the stuff that came with being a Ranger.

Tommy, on the other hand, was not getting used to the frequent calls from Blue Bay Harbor. And he was usually the one to answer the phone when they called due to the fact that he didn't have to work at Crane Gymnastics.

"Hello, this is the Oliver residence."

"Hi Dr. Oliver, this is Tori. Is Megan there?"

"Yes," Tommy said.

"Is it for me?" Megan asked as she ran into the room before Tommy had a chance to go and find her.

"Tori," Tommy said, thrusting the phone at her and walking away scowling.

"Hey Tor," Megan said. "What's up? Did Blake finally ask you out? Or did you ask him out?"

"Neither," Tori said, though there was a trace of a grin in the sentiment. "Cam's a Power Ranger!"

"What?!" Megan asked, her eyes going wide. "How is that even possible?"

"There was time travel involved," Tori explained.

"Time travel? I love time travel. Except for the fact that Jen Scotts needs to get her butt back to this time and marry Wes Collins," Megan growled.

Tori, used to the nonsensical ravings her friend frequently made that involved prior Power Ranger teams and couples, ignored Megan and continued. "This is kind of a long story. But we ended up getting drained of our powers by yet another of Lothor's goons—,"

"Do you know how frequently Power Rangers get drained of their powers or have them removed period?" Megan asked.

"No but I'm sure you'll tell me later. After I finish the story," Tori said.

"Yeah, okay."

"We got drained of our powers and Cam decided to use the Scroll of Time against his father's wishes to go back in time and find a strong power source. He gave us the short rundown of what happened so I can only tell you what he told us about the past. There's some pretty amazing stuff in it."

"Okay, continue please. I will be amazed at the appropriate times," Megan said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Cam ended up meeting Sensei in the past—,"

"What?!" Megan screeched. "You don't do that. Oh God. He totally just screwed up the timeline and we're all going to die and then Jen and Wes will never get married because there's the whole problem of the time stream being screwed up."

"Do you seriously listen to yourself speak sometimes?" Tori asked after a minute.

"Okay. Panicking is done. If the time stream was screwed up we'd be dead by now and we wouldn't be having this conversation. You can continue," Megan said calmly.

"So Cam met Sensei and he was taken into the Academy as a new student. He also met Kiya, his dad's twin brother. Did you know his dad had a twin brother?"

"No idea," Megan said. "I wonder if Mom and Dad knew about that."

"Know, Meg. Know. You're parents may or may not _know_, not knew. They aren't dead they're just trapped in a stasis pod or something up on Lothor's ship," Tori said.

"I know that. You know I have bad grammatical skills."

"Good point. So Cam meets his uncle who he never knew he had and then there's this other student, Miko. She had this green amulet which got stolen sometime during the day. Cam got set up and decided to take the blame for it, but Sensei figured out that his brother did it. Apparently Kiya had been training with dark ninja magic. Kiya and Cam fought and the amulet gave Cam a boost of power. Miko told Cam to keep the amulet as it had found its rightful owner. The Sensei back then banished Kiya, but he announced his new name before he was banished. Guess what his name was?"

"I don't think I like the direction this is going," Megan said warily.

"You won't. Kiya is Lothor. Lothor is Cam's uncle!"

Megan stared blankly for a minute.

"Meg? Are you there? You're not screaming yet," Tori said.

"I'm absorbing the fact that my fake older brother's uncle is Lothor. This makes my fake uncle Lothor. Crap," Megan said.

"He's not your fake uncle," Tori said. "It doesn't work that way. Anyways, Cam came back to this time and saved the day. He's the Green Samurai Power Ranger thanks to the Samurai Amulet. But then Lothor decided to send down more goons and we split up. Cam got stung and began to turn into an insect."

"Just like Uncle Carlos! Only he was the Black Ranger when it happened. But he _was_ the Green Ranger. Ooh! I should do a study on all of the bad things that happen to the Rangers and how it correlates with others who wear the same color. I don't think Uncle Tommy ever started to turn into a bug," Megan said.

"Focus Megan, I'm trying to tell you the story," Tori said.

"Right, right. Go on. Cam's turning into a bug."

"Cam managed to find the monster that did it and had him retract the venom. Cam is in no danger of becoming an insect right now. And when he got back, we surprised him with his own ninja attire. Green trim of course."

"That's fantastic," Megan said. "He's always wanted to be a ninja. His dad just wouldn't let him. It's funny that the Amulet was always meant to go to him."

"What do you mean?" Tori asked.

"Well Miko was his mom, so it was his Mom's and she lost it before he was born obviously. Technically it was lost before his parents were married. It's a family heirloom. It would only settle into the hands of one of the family. And he manages to go back in time and find both of his parents and have the Amulet choose him," Megan mused. "Interesting the way family dynamics work."

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"_Hi," Hunter said, leaning against the doorjamb. "Can we help you?"_

"_No, we're going to help you," Megan grinned._

"_And what does that mean?" Blake asked from behind his brother._

"_Megan thinks you should move into Ops," Kim said. "And I agree, if this is where you're living."_


	39. The Bradley Brothers Move

_Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, kept telling me that the format of the document couldn't be understood no matter what I did to it.  
_

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Bradley Brothers Move  
(Megan And Some Friends Cause Blake And Hunter Some Trouble)**

_Date: January 14, 2004; January 18, 2004_

If Hunter and Blake Bradley were surprised to see Kim, Tommy, and Megan at their front door, they didn't show it.

"Hi," Megan said.

"Hi," Hunter said, leaning against the doorjamb. "Can we help you?"

"No, we're going to help you," Megan grinned.

"And what does that mean?" Blake asked from behind his brother.

"Megan thinks you should move into Ops," Kim said. "And I agree, if this is where you're living."

"It's a motel, it's fine," Hunter said.

"Yeah, and it's a motel when you have the option of living in Ops," Kim said.

"We're fine here," Blake said.

"Yes, but you have to pay for it and you don't have Cam's cooking to eat," Megan said.

"Wait, Cam can cook?" Tommy asked.

"Why do you think I've lost so much weight since I've been at your house? Anyways, me and the others agree that you should move into Ops. You'll be closer to the action and it'll be free and Cam can cook you awesomely amazing food," Megan said.

"We're fine here," Blake said.

"We've got everything that we need," Hunter said.

"Look, you need to realize that people want to help, and people will help," Kim said. "So we're helping."

"We appreciate it, really we do," Blake said.

"But we're fine here," Hunter said.

As the Olivers and Megan walked away the two girls looked at each other. "We're bringing people to forcibly move them out, aren't we?" Megan asked.

"Yes. That place is a dump," Kim said. "It's the cheapest motel in all of Blue Bay Harbor most likely and it's not exactly in the best part of town. I don't care if they know how to fight and stuff, they're moving."

"Okay then," Tommy said. "We're calling the guys, right?"

**********

"Hello again," Kimberly said cheerfully to the half asleep Thunder Rangers as they answered their door four days later.

"What are you doing here?" Hunter asked.

"You're moving and that's final," Kim told them.

"We're fine here," Blake said.

"Dude, _this_ is where you're living?" Dustin asked, poking his head around Megan. "Ops is way better digs than this."

"That's what we told them," Megan sighed.

"What are you all doing here though?" Blake asked.

"We're helping you move," Dustin said. "All your stuff is getting moved to Ops."

"Okay, we really appreciate it, and everything, but we're fine here," Blake told the group.

"You're moving, so get used to it," Megan said.

Hunter and Blake glanced at one another and sighed unanimously. "Fine."

"Whoohoo, all right," Megan said, pumping her fist into the air.

"Guys, you can come in now!" Kim called.

Jason, Rocky, Adam, Zack, Justin, Shane, and Cam appeared. "How much stuff do you think we have?" Hunter asked incredulously.

**********

Packing and moving everything into the cars was going smoothly. The Bradley brothers really didn't have many material possessions in their small room, so it was quick work. Megan was the only one who wasn't involved for all that it had been partly her idea.

She was leaning against the wall, watching Kim order the boys to haul things out of the room and to the cars. Justin carried a microwave out and put it in the backseat of Tommy's Jeep. He glanced over at Megan.

"Why aren't you helping?" he asked her.

"So? I'm the pretty eye candy for the hunky working boys," Megan grinned.

"That's it," Justin said. He came over to her and hauled her over his shoulder, causing her to shriek.

"Justin! Put me down now!" Megan laughed, hitting his back.

"Can you not kick your feet? You're going to hit me in the head," Justin said.

"Put me down! Help! I need to be rescued," Megan called.

"I don't see anything wrong," Hunter said as he walked by them carrying a box of stuff.

"Neither do I," Jason said.

"That's not fair!" Megan giggled. "You're supposed to rescue me. Fine. Help! I need a Power Ranger! A Power Ranger needs to rescue me."

"Don't see any Power Rangers here," Tommy said.

"None at all," Dustin grinned.

"Guys!" Megan said. "You've got to help me here! I'm being held hostage by Justin!"

"Do you hear something?" Justin asked a guy who was walking by. "I don't hear anything."

"Justin!" Megan shrieked as he hitched her up higher on his shoulder, causing her head to become inches closer to the ground.

"If she dies while her mother's trapped up in a spaceship, Laura's going to kill you," Kim commented as she walked back into the motel room.

"Oh fine," Justin sighed and unceremoniously set Megan back on her feet.

"Butt head," Megan said and punched Justin in the gut.

"Okay, that's it," Tommy said, carrying out the last box. "Now everybody into the cars so we can get this stuff to the Academy."

"Wait, you're coming with us?" Shane asked warily.

"Yeah, how else do you think this stuff's getting into the lair?" Megan asked.

"I wish you wouldn't call it that," Cam sighed.

"Should we really be trusting them with the location of the school?" Shane asked.

"Really?" Rocky asked. "You're asking if we can be trusted?"

"Because you need to remember exactly who we are and what we used to do," Jason said.

"We're probably better at keeping secrets than you are anyways," Tommy said.

"And I already know where the school is," Kim told them. "Laura told me ages ago when I told her I was going to college."

Shane frowned but had to admit that they were right. "He's just a little paranoid about the whole Lothor thing," Dustin explained.

"Sure," Tommy said. "Understandable. Now into the cars."

It was a bit of a tight fit due to the fact that not everyone had brought their own car and all of Hunter and Blake's stuff, but they managed to cram everyone into the cars.

"Dude, this is totally going to be awesome," Dustin said from the far back of Megan's station wagon. All of the Ninja Storm Rangers were in Megan's car on the way to the Academy's well hidden parking lot. "You guys are gonna be like _right there_. Wait, where do you guys go to school?"

"We ninja streak back to the school we went to by the Thunder Academy," Blake explained.

"Isn't that against the ninja code or something?" Megan asked.

"No," Cam said. "Well, not if anyone notices."

"Oh. Okay," Megan said. "Dude, what is Uncle Tommy _doing_?"

"What's happening?" Shane asked.

"He's driving like a lunatic. Granted, that is relatively usual when it comes to uncle Tommy…Ooh, maybe Aunt Kim's talking about pregnancy stuff. He usually freaks out when that happens."

"Speaking of girl Rangers, where's Tori?" Hunter asked.

Megan glanced up in the rearview mirror to see Blake's reaction, which turned out to be a slight blush. "Oh, she's got stuff to do at home. Her mom's moderately pissed at her for vanishing at all hours of the day."

"So her parents don't know about the Ranger thing?" Blake asked.

"No. It's better that way honestly. Well, except when you get grounded," Megan said.

"Yeah, and you and Cam don't have to worry about that," Dustin said grumpily.

"I don't have to worry about that because I'm not a Ranger dummy," Megan said.

"Dude, how many times have you been grounded?" Hunter asked.

"Like twelve since we started," Dustin grumbled.

"Nobody can think of a valid excuse for him," Shane said. "I've been grounded five times so far."

"I think Tori's only at twice," Cam said. "What on Earth is your uncle doing to drive like that?"

"I usually just ignore him and figure he's a lunatic," Megan said. "Plus there's the whole he used to be a racecar driver thing to consider."

"He used to race?" Blake asked.

"He was ramping up in popularity before he decided to quit and go to college with Aunt Kim," Megan explained.

They pulled onto a side road and waited as Jason in the lead car parked and hopped out to move the "ROAD CLOSED // DANGER" sawhorse that hid the entrance to the parking lot. Once that was done and Jason was back in the car the procession moved forward once more.

Once the cars were parked the former and current Rangers began hauling everything out of the cars and across the still rocky meadow that used to be the Academy training grounds. They didn't find that too hard to navigate, but the stairs leading down to Ninja Ops proved to be nearly disastrous. Tommy, who was in the front carrying a box, couldn't see his feet and was walking down carefully. Rocky was right behind him and was decidedly not being careful. Tommy had stopped and lifted the box a bit higher to try and find the next step and Rocky bumped into him, sending him almost tumbling down the stairs.

"Whoa!" a voice said, and hands pressed against the box Tommy was holding, preventing him from falling forward.

"Thanks, Cam," Tommy said, then blinked. Cam had been one of the last people in the line. He had called down to his dad to unlock Ops or he would have been first.

"You steady now bro?" 'Cam' asked.

"Yeah," Tommy said, slowly lowering the box. The man in front of him – and it was always slightly odd to remember that Cam was in fact the same age as him – looked like Cam but at the same time didn't. For starters he was dressed completely differently. He looked more like Dustin or Shane, wearing loose fitting shorts, a sweatshirt, and a beanie – all in green.

"Keep it moving!" came a call from somewhere further back in the tunnel.

"Sorry!" Tommy called and moved forward into Ops. The others followed suit and began setting boxes down around the room.

"Anything interesting happen, Cyber Cam?" Megan asked.

"Not a single thing. Looks like Uncle Lothor's taking a nap or something," the other Cam said.

"Wait, 'Cyber Cam?' What does that mean?" Adam asked, looking at the two Cams now standing next to one another.

"Bro here created me so that he could go out and be all Power Rangery while I stayed back here at the Ops to send out the Zords and stuff," the other Cam said.

"You what?" Rocky asked.

"It's totally cool. Cam got him to be corporeal at times too. Because he's basically a hologram but he can also not be one and he can wander around outside of Ops and it's really confusing, but also totally cool," Megan said.

"You made a computer program version of yourself," Kim said.

"Yes," Cam said.

"That is so something a Blue would do," Justin said. "I wonder…"

"No," Jason said. "You are not making a computer program version of yourself."

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: RPM_

_As one could have expected, Angela Allerson and Zack Taylor's wedding was an incredibly fun filled night._


	40. The Taylor Wedding

_Author's Note_: Sorry about the delayed update guys. I live in the DC area and if you do too, you know how sucky it is. If you don't, well, I got about 2 feet of snow on Saturday and our power was out for 4 days.

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Taylor Wedding  
(DANCE MANIA!!!)**

_Date: February 28, 2004_

As one could have expected, Angela Allerson and Zack Taylor's wedding was an incredibly fun filled night. The two had decided not to have the typical church wedding and then the fiasco of moving everyone to a separate distant location for a reception. Instead they had both the ceremony and the reception in the same place. The two exchanged their vows in a barn just outside of Stone Canyon of all places.

This was not your typical barn, however. This barn had been tricked out just for occasions such as this. It was completely insulated from both heat and cold, having both air conditioning and central heating. There were double paned glass windows in the walls and a large skylight had been set into the roof so that natural light could shine through. The skylight could also be covered if one preferred darkness.

The dirt floor that the barn originally had no longer existed. The ground had long ago been cemented over and then covered in resilient wood flooring that could stand up to the wear and tear of many feet. Part of the back section of the barn had been converted into storage, holding tables, chairs, and anything else that might be necessary at a wedding reception.

There was a disco ball in the ceiling that had multicolored lights shooting at it as well as a colored strobe light. Both descended from the ceiling and could be used individually or together. There was a state of the art surround sound system installed in the barn, as well as players for any form of music – including 8-Tracks.

The wedding was beautiful. Angela looked lovely in her dress, and Trini, Kim, Aisha, and Tanya looked lovely as bridesmaids as did Angela's sister Gina as the Maid of Honor. The groomsmen – Tommy, Jason, Rocky, and Adam – looked suitably handsome.

The ceremony itself was quick. The reception, on the other hand, was not. The dinner portion started at four, though there was very little formality to it. There was the typical Best Man speech (graciously given by Jason) as well as the cutting of the cake (where Angela surprisingly refrained from smashing it in her new husband's face). The couple's first dance followed and then everyone else was invited to the dance floor.

Kimberly wasn't much for dancing, despite the fact that people kept trying to pull her out on the dance floor. She was unfortunately in the thralls of morning sickness, which she, as many other women, found did not only occur in the morning.

Kim was having quite some fun with it though. Despite the fact that she felt moderately nauseous, she was also having some cravings. Specifically for tortilla chips and salsa, which was at each of the tables. She was making Tommy go find her some of the more random items at the buffet.

She, Trini, Aisha, Kat, and Tanya all sat at one of the tables munching on the salsa and chips at their table while they sent Tommy off to find whatever else any of the girls wanted. Aisha would say that she wanted cheesecake, which would then prompt all of the girls to want cheesecake so Kim would send Tommy off to find a big piece of it. When he returned with it they would all have some of it after shooing him off to hang with the guys while they dug in.

The girls were in the middle of eating said slice of cheesecake when Kat asked, "Where are Justin and Megan? I thought they were here." She glanced around, but the two teens were nowhere in sight.

"Oh, they're studying in one of the storage rooms," Kim said.

"Studying?" Tanya asked curiously.

"Big tests coming up," Kim explained. "They really wanted to come to the wedding, but they do have to study. So they're taking breaks to eat and dance and so on."

"But they're studying. At _this_ reception," Trini said, glancing towards the thumping speakers.

"Big tests," Kim shrugged.

**********

Tommy was well aware of what his wife was doing. Very well aware of it. But, he couldn't bring himself to mind or call her on it. She hadn't been feeling very well lately due to the baby and she hadn't been sleeping much due to the baby apparently preferring nighttime. So here he was carting food so that his wife and their friends could eat without having to get up.

There was only one thing that Jason could say about it, "You are so whipped man."

"We're all whipped," was Tommy's reply. "Does the word 'Serpenterra' bring back any memories?"

All of the boys collectively shuddered.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

_Kimberly Ann Oliver nee Hart woke up on March 2, 2004 slowly. She always did on March 2. Tommy, on the other hand, was always up at the crack of dawn. He would head outside and practice his katas, attempting – usually in vain – to center himself. Kim preferred to slowly be aware of the day and what it meant. _

_(AN: You'll be able to figure out what I'm talking about if you go back and look for March 3 in the story.)_


	41. Kim & The Rotten, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author's Note: Props go out to Falcon4Crane to figuring out the mystery first! And general-joseph-dickson had an interesting view on Megan and Justin. No, they are not dating. Megan will hook up with someone, but it's not Justin. Though he is in a way a Blue too…Anyways, the song at the end is "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. And I may or may not have a "March 3rd" mix that may or may not go up on the LJ comm. I have to sort of fix it up and then upload it and all sorts of stuff. I'll tell you if it does go up.

**Chapter Forty: Kimberly And The Rotten, No Good, Very Bad Day  
(Just Another Horrible March 3)**

_Date: March 3, 2004_

Kimberly Ann Oliver nee Hart woke up on March 2, 2004 slowly. She always did on March 2. Tommy, on the other hand, was always up at the crack of dawn. He would head outside and practice his katas, attempting – usually in vain – to center himself. Kim preferred to slowly be aware of the day and what it meant.

Every one of them had their own way of dealing with what the day meant. Each was different, though some weren't that far from others. Jason, she knew, preferred to work himself stupid for the majority of the day until it was time to head out to wherever the get together was being held for the year.

That option had never worked for her. She wanted to be aware, in a slightly twisted sort of way. She never worked on March 2, no matter what day of the week it was. In college she even went so far as to skip class all day when the date fell on a weekday.

But today she did have work to do. It wasn't a lot, but it was some and she really did have to get to it. She sat up slowly and stared at the mirror across from the bed. She already looked like a mess and she hadn't even started the inevitable crying yet.

She got out of bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. There was a pot of coffee already made and she glanced at the microwave to check the time. It was 9:00, meaning Megan had already left for school. Funny, usually Megan was loud as she got ready for school in the morning. Kim sighed and poured a cup of coffee, staring out the window at Tommy.

A few hours later she found herself putting a CD into the player, causing music to float through the kitchen where she was cooking in preparation for the get together later that afternoon. Guests would start arriving around two o'clock and she was only just beginning to get the food ready. It was mostly finger food and snacks, so it wouldn't take long. The music playing, though, would cause her to work slower just by the nature of the music.

_There's no one in town I know  
You gave us some place to go.  
I never said thank you for that,  
I thought I might get one more chance.  
What would you think of me now;  
So lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that.  
Now I'll never have a chance.  
May angels lead you in._

It was the start of a very long, and very depressing day.

It was the anniversary of the Countdown to Destruction and the death of Zordon.


	42. Anniversary Of Sorrow & Joy That Comes

Author's Note: Giving you a bonus update now. This chapter, as you can tell, is longer. A lot longer. So when you add the last chapter – which was much shorter – and this one, you've got two average length chapters.

**Chapter Forty-One: Anniversary Of Sorrow And The Joy That Comes  
(Cam Has A Surprise For Megan Which Turns Into A Surprise for  
The Former Power Rangers and Eric FINALLY Asks Megan Out)**

_Date: March 3, 2004_

Megan stared aimlessly out of the window of her third period math class. She'd been sitting like that since class began. That had been almost half an hour ago.

"Miss Wright," a voice said loudly near her.

"Hm?" Megan asked, jumping slightly.

"You have been staring out of that window for the entire class. Are you all right?" the teacher asked. From the seat next to her, Eric looked concerned.

"Today's not a good day," Megan said wearily, too tired to even come up with an excuse.

Mrs. Willis's face softened. "Do you want to go to the office? Or the nurse?"

Snickers could be heard from the back of the classroom. "No. I'll be fine. Today's just not a good day for anyone in my family. There was a guy who was like a second father to my aunts and uncles that died seven years ago. Nobody's gotten over it yet."

The snickers in the classroom died down and Mrs. Willis smiled sadly. "That's all right then."

Eric looked at Megan in concern again, but she just looked down at her notebook and drew one word.

Zordon.

**********

Eric didn't get to see Megan again until the end of the day as she had mysteriously vanished for lunch. He found her sitting on one of the outside picnic tables, staring off into space.

"Hey Megan," he called. She turned and gave him a weak smile. "You doing okay?"

"No."

"You missed the bus," Eric said after a minute.

"Mm," Megan said. "How'd you know I was going to take it?"

"You didn't drive today," Eric said sheepishly. "I didn't see your car."

Megan glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"You want me to drive you?"

"Won't your brother get annoyed?"

"Naw, he's already gone," Eric said, thinking of the conversation that he had had with his brother only moments before that had involved quite a bit of teasing. Namely about how Eric just wanted to get Megan alone in the car to finally ask her out.

"Kay," Megan said, hopping off of the table.

The ride to her aunt and uncle's house was quiet, punctuated only by her directions. When he finally pulled up to the house that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, there was a bunch of cars already there.

"What's with all the cars?" he asked curiously.

"Everyone gets together today. Tradition. We have a memorial for him," Megan said. "Thanks for driving me, Eric."

She didn't get out of the car but just sat there. "You gonna go in?" he finally asked. "I'm fine with sitting out here all night as I have a paper I don't want to write."

"Aunt Kim has a Zordon mix. It makes me cry. I don't want to go in there," Megan said. "At all." She glanced over at him. "Wanna kidnap me?"

"I have a feeling your aunt and uncle might not like that," Eric said, though the thought was tempting.

"All right," Megan sighed, getting out of the car.

Eric followed and walked her to the door. "So," he said. "I uh, hope everything's all right today." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to smack himself in the forehead.

"Meh. Today always sucks. Tomorrow will be better," Megan said.

Another car pulled into the drive and Megan grinned. "Hey! Meg!" the driver, a boy who looked only slightly older than them, called.

"Hey Justin," Megan called with a slight smile.

The muscular boy came up and gave Megan a big hug, picking her up off of the ground. "You okay?" he asked.

"Not so much. But hey, I'll be fine tomorrow. You head on in. We've got talking to do," Megan said, gesturing to Eric and herself.

"Will do," Justin said, heading in the house.

"Oh! Aunt Kim's got her depressing mix on, so be prepared," Megan added.

"Thanks for the warning," Justin said with a grin.

"So, who's he?" Eric asked, trying not to sound anything but curious.

"Justin. I've known him since I was like ten," Megan said.

"You guys close?"

"Close as can be even if he is on the other side of the country most of the time," Megan said. Off Eric's curious look she explained, "He goes to MIT. He's a genius. So I rarely get to see him. We talk a lot though."

Eric made a non committed noise and looked at the ground.

"You know, you're not doing this whole jealousy thing too well," Megan said with a teasing grin, the first one he'd seen on her all day.

"Jealousy thing? What jealousy thing?" Eric asked defensively.

"If you want to ask me out just do it. Justin's my friend and he will only ever be that. Nothing more," Megan said. "So please, just ask me out so I don't have to do it for you."

"You want to go out with me?" Eric asked, stunned.

Megan grinned playfully. "Have you seriously not been picking up all those hints? Because I've been dropping a whole lot."

"Uh, that would be a no, I guess," Eric said. He frowned a bit. "I don't want to ask you out today though."

"Why not?" Megan asked in curiosity.

"Because if I ask you out today then you'll still be depressed. I'm going to ask you out tomorrow," Eric said with a grin.

"Fine," Megan pouted. "Just do it first thing in the morning or something. Don't think I can handle the wait." She grinned at him teasingly.

Eric grinned back and headed to his car. "See you at school."

"See you."

Megan waited until he was gone to let out a squeal of excitement. "Yes!"

"What's that about?" Justin asked from the doorway.

"Nothing," Megan said. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got to go get the current Power Rangers team from Blue Bay."

**********

It didn't take Megan long to get to Blue Bay and the Wind Academy as she ninja streaked the entire way there. She ran through the waterfall and headed towards Ninja Ops. "Where's Tori?" she asked as soon as she entered the underground lair.

"What?" Tori asked.

"Guess what happened after school!" Megan squealed.

Dustin and Shane shared a glance that clearly read, "She is CRAZY!"

"What?"

"Eric," Megan said, grinning brightly.

"He didn't!" Tori gasped.

"No. Tomorrow. But he's going to!"

"That's great Meg," Tori said happily.

"You know what's the best part? He not only realized I was in a completely depressive funk today but that he was going to do it tomorrow so that I'd be happier when he did it," Megan said.

"How much of a depressive funk?" Cam asked.

"Cam, you know as well as I do that this is the worst day of my life every year," Megan said. "Which is weird when you think about the fact that I met him once…"

"Well," Dustin said, butting in. "I think we can fix that."

"Huh?" Megan asked. "The only way to fix that is to have Zordon be alive again."

"Okay, we can't do that," Dustin said. "But we do have something that should make your day better."

"What?" Megan asked.

"We were checking out the rubble from the Earth Academy and we found some interesting stuff," Shane said.

"Most notably, this," Cam said, presenting Megan with a box. "It's yours."

"How is something of mine at the Earth Academy?" Megan asked sarcastically. "I've never even been there."

"Open it," Tori said, smiling brightly. "You'll like it. I swear."

Megan opened the wooden box and gasped, her eyes widening. Resting on soft velvet was a Power Ranger Morpher. "Oh my God," she said, taking it out of the box and placing the box on the table.

"It's for fire. You're the only fire ninja we know," Blake said.

"Oh holy crap," Megan said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Whoa," Hunter said. "Why are you crying?"

"Because seven years ago today she was told that she was going to be a Power Ranger by Zordon," Cam said.

"And now I am," Megan said. "Oh yeah, this makes my day better monumentally." She paused and then frowned. "Crap. I totally just fulfilled my theory."

"What theory?" Blake asked.

"Ha! You did!" Tori laughed.

"About Power Rangers falling in love with at first sight. This bites," Megan sighed. "Hey, but at least I know that there's a very good chance that Eric and I will last." Blake gave her a startled look and then darted a glance at Tori.

"You're actually going to date him?" Dustin asked. "Won't that conflict with Rangering?"

"Rangering is not a verb, Dustin. Its' PRing," Megan said. "And I doubt it. I mean, I know a lot of Power Rangers who went on dates while on active duty. Okay, we have to get to Reefside."

"Why?" Hunter asked.

"The Power Rangers ceremony for Zordon. We get every Power Ranger we can even if they didn't know Zordon. I'm sure the guys would love to meet you all," Megan said.

"I get to meet the Power Rangers!" Dustin said in excitement. "That is so cool!"

"Dustin, you've already met some of them," Tori said.

"Yeah, but I get to meet _more_."

"Not that many more," Megan said.

"I don't know," Shane said warily. "What if Lothor attacks?"

"If Lothor attacks then you will have quite a number of Power Rangers up in Junior who can still morph," Megan said with a knowing grin.

"Junior?" Blake asked.

"The Astro Megaship Junior. Easier for me to call it Junior. Senior is off on Mironoi. Or maybe not. I don't remember if they said they could come. But Uncle Billy's going to be here! Yayz!" Megan said. "Now come on. I want you all to come."

"I'm in," Dustin said immediately. "I totally think we should do it."

"If Lothor attacks we may not be able to get there in time," Shane said stubbornly.

"Do you just not want to meet the first Red Ranger? And the second? And the third? And the fourth? And the fifth? Because Junior has _teleportation capabilities_ silly," Megan said.

"I still don't know," Shane said.

"We're going," Tori said. "Get over it."

**********

The Oliver – Wright (at the moment anyways) house was crammed full of Power Rangers, former and current by the time they all teleported up to the Astro Megaship Junior. Dustin was, of course, suitably impressed with the sheer numbers of Power Rangers he had never met before. Shane was actually quite nervous about meeting his Red Ranger predecessors – he had been positively terrified before getting Hunter and Blake three months prior -- and stood quietly.

All of the female Rangers swarmed Tori when she arrived.

"So, you're the first girl who isn't Pink or Yellow?" Taylor asked.

"That's right," Tori said, almost hesitantly.

"Good job!" Aisha grinned. "We've been stuck in these two colors, except for Alyssa sort of, for years now."

"Alyssa?" Tori asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"She was the White Wild Force Ranger, but her suit had pink on it, so she's considered the only half pink Ranger," Trini said.

"Guys," Kimberly called. "Guys! Quiet down Rocky and Zack and Jason! Ashley called. We're going in shifts now."

"Got it," everybody chorused. In groups of ten people teleported up to the Astro Megaship Junior until the Ninja Storm Rangers were the only ones left, including their newest member Megan.

"So what's the deal with this whole thing?" Dustin asked.

"I'll arrange you. You don't have to do anything but light a candle, okay? It's not hard at all. Just watch," Megan said.

"When are you going to tell them?" Tori asked.

"After the ceremony," Megan said.

They teleported up the Astro Megaship II and the Ninja Storm Rangers (sans Cam who had been there before) looked around in awe.

"I want a spaceship," Dustin said.

"Wait, if you've got a spaceship up here, why can't you just attack Lothor?" Hunter asked.

"We already tried," Ashley said. "It doesn't work very well."

"His ship has better fighting capabilities," Andros explained.

"And way better shields," Carlos added.

The older Rangers made their way out of the Bridge and the Ninja Storm Rangers followed after them, looking around at the ship as they went. They were led to a large conference room that had a large table in the middle. The table had fat, thick, candles along the sides, seemingly enough for all of the Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo, Astro, and Ninja Storm Rangers to have one. As the veteran Rangers took their places around the table, the Ninja Storm Rangers took the empty spaces, along one side of the table.

"Megan," Kim said. "You're at the head."

"What?" Megan asked, slightly shocked. "Why do I get to be at the head of the table?"

"It's in honor of the fact that you didn't get kidnapped by Lothor. And in honor of the fact that you introduced us to the newest team of Rangers," Ashley said.

Megan slowly made her way to the head of the table.

"You sure you know what to do?" Carlos teased.

"I know!" Megan said, sounding affronted. She looked at the confused Ninja Storm Rangers. "Just follow the other guys. You'll be the last. Cam, you wanna go last because you're the last to get powers?"

Cam nodded and took his place right to the left of Megan. She looked at Jason, who was standing immediately to her right then scanned the lineup of Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo, Astro, and Ninja Storm Rangers. She looked down at the unlit candle in front of her.

"Wait. There's no lighter. Or matches," she said, looking up in confusion.

Everyone looked at her in amusement.

"Megan, sweetheart, what's your element?" Kim asked.

Megan blushed. "Oopsie…" she said. Once more she looked down at the unlit candle in front of her. She took a deep breath and let it out forcefully as she snapped her fingers. A tiny flicker of flame appeared at the tip of her index finger.

"Today is the day that the universe was saved from evil. Today is the day that we honor a fallen leader. Today is the day that we honor Zordon of Eltar's sacrifice," she said, lighting the candle.

Jason, on her right, took her candle and lit his own with it. Trini, who was standing to his right, took his candle and continued. The candle lighting continued in silence until Cam took Tori's candle and lit his own.

"Zordon will never be gone as long as we remember him and his sacrifice. He is present in all of the good in the universe, including ourselves. We fight the evil that remains in the universe to honor his mission of protecting the innocents," Megan said.

There was a moment of silence and then Megan said perkily, "Guess what peopleses!"

"Well, that was abrupt," Billy said.

"Sorry, I have incredibly exciting news," Megan said. "It's going to be close to topping the Oliver baby announcement."

"Well, what is it? Because it's not going to do that," Trini said. "That's not ever going to happen."

"Will too," Megan said. "So. I'm a Power Ranger."

"Wait, you're a Ranger? How did that happen?" Trini asked.

"We were going through the rubble from the Earth Academy, right outside of Reefside," Cam said.

"We found it there," Dustin said. "It's for a Fire Ninja, which is weird because the only Academies that teach Fire are over in Japan."

"Don't remind me," Megan sighed. "I had to do a summer over there in between eighth and ninth grade. Imagine having to spend all three months right before you go to high school in another country where you barely know the language and don't know anybody."

"You're supposed to know Japanese," Cam said.

"And I do now," Megan said. "But what fourteen year old wants to know Japanese because she's being forced to? The only reason I knew some was to watch anime."

"Wait, we're supposed to know Japanese?" Shane asked.

"Yes," Cam said. "That's why we offer classes at the Academy."

"I wasn't aware of that," Tori said.

"The Thunder Academy doesn't exactly require it as much as they're supposed to," Blake said.

"Can we get back to the story? Not that I don't find the fact that none of you know Japanese utterly fascinating," Jason said.

"That was the story. We found it in the rubble of the Earth Academy," Cam said.

"Oh," Jason said. "Can we move on then? As in, can we see you morph?"

"Okay," Megan said. She strapped the morpher to her wrist and paused. "Uh, wait. How do I morph? Because Cam's got his own call and Blake and Hunter have their own thing," Megan said.

"Just do whatever you want. You don't really ever need to actually call out what it is," Kim said.

"Er, okay then," Megan said. She thought for a minute and then took a deep breath and said, "Fire Storm, Ranger Form, HA!" She performed the same moves that the Wind Rangers did, but she seemed to have a shimmery glow – almost like a heat haze – around her as she did them.

When she stood in her new Ranger uniform the Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo, and Astro Rangers gaped at her for a couple of seconds before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"What?" Megan asked curiously. "Why are you laughing?"

"Look-look-look!" Kim stuttered, collapsing on Tommy. "Oh my God!"

"What's so funny?" Megan asked, planting her hands on her hips.

"I don't get it," Shane said, looking at the cackling adults. "So what if she's the White Ranger?"

"I'm the _what_?" Megan shrieked, looking down at her suit for the first time.

It was similar to Tori's, though the arms and legs of the suit were leaning more towards silver end of the spectrum instead of gray and the edging of her tunic was the bluest blue of a fire. The remainder of her suit was a pristine white.

"_Nooo!" _Megan wailed. "I'm turning into Uncle Tommy! No! No! No!" She beat her hands on the sides of her helmet. "Why can't I be Orange or another Red – no, I don't want to be either of those. DAMMIT!"

"This is priceless," Justin said, pulling out a digital camera and snapping a picture.

"That had better not be going in the album Justin Stewart!" Megan said.

"Of course it's not," Justin said, but the smirk on his face belied his words.

"I'm going to _kill_ you!" Megan bellowed, diving at Justin. Justin, to his credit, pocketed the camera and bolted from the room, Megan close on his heels.

"Oh God this is perfect," Kim said.

"A fitting end to the ceremony," Trini said with a grin.

"Even though Justin may die," Kat said.

"Violently," Rocky added. "Megan's like a crazier version of Kim when it comes to fighting." Justin ran past the room and tossed the camera to Jason, who caught it.

"Hey!" Kim protested. "I'm not like her. She wails on people for no reason."

"I do not!" Megan yelled as she raced after Justin. "And I'm so going to set you on fire Justin Stewart!"

"I am so confused, man," Dustin said. "What album?"

"You don't know about the album?" Trini asked.

"I think Alyssa may still have it," Tanya said. "Or somebody else has it."

"The album's awesome," Ashley said. "It chronicles the lives of the Rangers while they're in the suits."

"It'd be hell if it got out," TJ said, "but it's fun."

"There's pictures of the team, wedding pictures, and soon to be baby pictures," Kim said. "Trini and I started it when she started talking about leaving. Which I'm still not over, by the way."

"I'm sorry!" Trini said. "Geez. It's been years. You should be over it by now."

"The only good things that came out of it were Aisha, Rocky, and Adam," Kim said.

"Imagine Jason as the ape Ninjetti," Tommy chuckled.

"I can be an ape if I want," Jason said.

"You already are, honey," Trini said. "And it's not a compliment."

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

_Kim felt fat. Huge. She'd never really believed all of the hype before, but she did now. Her back always hurt, it had been months since she could see her feet, she waddled everywhere, the baby clearly didn't know the meaning of "nighttime", and she hated the fact that her center of gravity was off so much._


	43. Life Moves On

**Chapter Forty-Two: Life Moves On  
(Kim Feels Fat And Megan And Eric Are ALREADY Having Issues)**

_Date: March 15, 2004_

Kim felt fat. Huge. She'd never really believed all of the hype before, but she did now. Her back always hurt, it had been months since she could see her feet, she waddled everywhere, the baby clearly didn't know the meaning of "nighttime", and she hated the fact that her center of gravity was off so much.

But what was probably worst was that the one person she wanted to talk to most about this was currently trapped in a spaceship orbiting the Earth.

That and Tommy kept vanishing to the basement where she could no longer go. The stairs were a little too narrow for her to comfortably navigate. When you added in the fact that they twisted sharply at one point and didn't have any railings, the basement had been off limits to Kim since about her fourth month.

But she could still annoy him while he was down there. Banging on the trapdoor worked fairly well despite the fact that the carpet muffled some of the sound. And when she _really_ wanted to annoy her husband she opened the trapdoor and called down in a sweet voice for him to do something completely unnecessary.

"Tommy! Can you come up here?"

Granted, this time she did actually need him. She was in the process of making dinner – Megan was out with Eric on their first official-Conner-isn't-with-us-and-we-aren't-pretending-to-not-have-crushes-on-each-other date – and she needed something on the top shelf.

"What do you need?" Tommy asked as he came up the stairs.

"The colander."

"The what?" Tommy asked.

"The colander," Kim said. When Tommy still didn't react she rolled her eyes and said, "The pasta strainer."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that?" Tommy asked, heading into the kitchen. "Why do you need it? I thought we were having chicken for dinner."

"We are. I'm washing vegetables with it," Kim explained.

"With the pasta strainer?" Tommy asked as he reached up and pulled the colander down.

"Yes. Now don't ask," Kim said as she took it from him. She moved back to the sink, which she had found was highly cumbersome and annoying.

"So I heard back from Reefside High," Tommy said, leaning against the counter next to her.

"You did? What did they say?"

Tommy had decided right after Kim found out that she was pregnant that he needed to find a job that allowed him to continue his research regarding the Dino Gems. Teaching seemed to be the perfect option as, thanks to Kim and Hayley, he had earned his teaching degree for the state of California as well as his PhD in college.

"Well, they don't quite have a paleontology course," Tommy said.

"So it's a no?" Kim asked. "There's always Reefside Tech or Angel Grove University or Stone Canyon Community College."

"Well, Reefside did offer me a job," Tommy said slowly.

"Teaching what?" Kim asked. "Technically you're certified to teach everything, but you really only know Paleontology. Hayley and I had to help you with mostly everything else."

"Okay, I was not _that_ bad at college," Tommy huffed. "And Reefside offered me Introduction to Higher Science. It's a senior mandated class and covers a bunch of different disciplines. But the teacher who's currently teaching is only going to be able to handle one section next year."

"Are you going to take it?" Kim asked him.

"I think so," Tommy said. "And hopefully the whole Lothor thing is over before Megan and I have to exist in the same school."

The sound of the front door opening echoed throughout the house.

"Megan?" Kim called worriedly.

"I just had the _weirdest_ date in the history of the universe," Megan said, walking into the kitchen and sitting down. "No lie. Weirdest. Date. Ever."

"What happened?" Tommy asked.

"So Eric and I are watching these really cheesy and crappy action flick and then we leave and we're heading to dinner and then he kisses me and _BAM!_ Magic happens. And not the romantic good kind of magic. Well, not that this was bad magic, but you get the point."

"Not really but continue," Kim said.

"Okay, so magic. I'm hearing waterfalls and wildfires and so on," Megan said. "And it's kind of freaky. So Eric and I are staring at each other like we've never seen each other before. And he asks me if I'm a ninja, to which I gaped at but ultimately said yes. Apparently he's a ninja at the Earth Academy. He was at home when it all went down. I dragged him off to see Cam and have Cam explain what the hell happened, where it got even weirder. Ninjas apparently have this thing called ninja-mates. Which is basically a soul mate."

"I think I remember your mom talking about that once," Kim mused.

"Wait, so you knew about this? And didn't think to warn me? Cam didn't even think to warn me," Megan said.

"I didn't really know about it," Kim said. "Laura was talking about it in regards to Ninjetti."

"Okay fine. Whatever," Megan said. "Anyways, Eric headed back home because we're freaked. Now I'm going to go yell at Cam and freak Tori and Blake out. Because apparently it happens when you kiss for the first time and they have yet to do that."

With that, Megan left the room and headed outside.

Tommy looked at Kim's stomach. "Please tell me that you aren't going to be that crazy and dramatic," he told it.

"Okay, just to recap what just happened, Megan's boyfriend's a ninja and they're soulmates so they're going to get married in the future?" Kim asked.

"I think that's what just happened," Tommy sighed.

"Do we have a deranged family or what?"

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

_Kim and Tommy were used to Megan leaving at all hours of the day or night to go and fight the goons that Lothor sent down. They were even used to Megan patching herself up after particularly violent fights. They were not, and probably would never be, used to Megan's reenactment stories of the battles. _

_**********  
_

**Author's Note:** This is at the end because of what this contains.

I've had a lot of people mention Eric and how he's already a ninja in Ranger canon. As everybody must be able to tell by now, I'm making some changes to the Ranger canon. This is really only a minor one I've made. Eric isn't a ninja before _Ninja Storm_. He appears in the final 2 episodes alongside Tally and Luke or something. I'm too lazy to look up the other guys name. Basically what happens is that they help Hunter and Cam fight off some Kelzacs. Cam and Hunter yell at them. Then at the very end of the season Eric, Tally, and Luke appear to start the new ninja academic year as _new ninjas_.

So what I've done is make Eric a ninja before the _Ninja Storm_ season. I've also made him an Earth ninja instead of a Wind ninja. Well, that and according to the show he's supposed to be an Air ninja. Because what sounds cooler Fire and Water as a couple or Fire and Air. Anyways, that's pretty much the only character change I've done. And someone mentioned something about Conner being a Ranger and Eric not, which I didn't quite undertand, but let me tell you now that Megan's the only Ranger change that I've made. All of the other Rangers on all future teams (Dino Thunder, Mystic Force, Operation Overdrive, Jungle Fury, and SPD) will remain the same as they were on the TV show. If you haven't watched those particular seasons, I suggest checking out the database on rangercentral DOT com.


	44. A Traitor, But To Whom?

_Author's Note_: So I managed to get everything up to Dino Thunder typed up. Now I've got the wonderful time of watching every single episode of DT and then transcribing it...Oh yay. But there's going to be lots of Tommy and Conner and Ethan and Trent and Kira in it, so whatever. Anyways, here's the chapter!

**Chapter Forty - Three: A Traitor, But To Whom?  
(Dustin And Marah Like Moping A Little Too Much)**

_Date: March 31, 2004_

Kim and Tommy were used to Megan leaving at all hours of the day or night to go and fight the goons that Lothor sent down. They were even used to Megan patching herself up after particularly violent fights. They were not, and probably would never be, used to Megan's reenactment stories of the battles.

"This was totally awesome and totally awful all at the same time!" Megan said.

"Here we go again," Tommy sighed.

"Shut up. This is important," Megan said. "Like totally important. We've got another Aunt Karone situation! Isn't that awesome?!"

"How do we have another 'Aunt Karone situation?'" Kim asked.

"Marah was having issues up on Lothor's ship and basically Lothor kicked her out. So she came down to Earth and then Dustin saved her from almost getting run over by a bunch of dirt bikes and then –"

"Why was Marah about to get run over by dirt bikes?" Tommy asked.

"She got kicked off of the ship and she was at the track. She was walking on it and Dustin saved her from getting run over. She told Dustin her story – getting kicked off – and he was like 'she's going to attack me!' and so on," Megan continued.

Kim and Tommy stared as Megan recounted the story of Marah telling Dustin that she'd help the Rangers defeat Beevil only to turn around and make Beevil even stronger. Megan managed to even reenact the fight sequence with Beevil.

"So. Marah's Aunt Karone. Now I have to go find out if she's on Earth or on the ship to comfort her. Because she totally looked torn over the whole thing," Megan said.

"Wait. I thought that she tricked him. As in she's evil, right?" Tommy said.

"I don't think she's so evil," Megan said. "More like confused. Kind of like Aunt Karone before she got brainwashed by Dark Specter, which is why I said we have another Aunt Karone situation."

"What about her sister?" Kim asked.

"Oh, Kapri's like totally nuts. I'm pretty sure she's more towards the deep end of the pool. Marah's just in the kiddie pool," Megan said. "Okay. Now I'm going. So bye." Megan darted out of the room and headed outside, slamming the door as she went.

Tommy and Kim looked at each other. "Do you have any idea what actually just happened?" Kim asked.

"Not a clue," Tommy said.

**********

Megan was getting very disappointed. Her search for Marah was turning out to be quite fruitless. She wasn't anywhere to be found in Blue Bay Harbor and Megan was really thinking of giving up at this point. That or making a sign that could be read from space saying, "Marah: the White Ranger needs to talk to you!"

So she was probably going to go with giving up.

She glanced around the park one last time and sighed, sitting down on a nearby bench and gazed at the river just ahead.

There was a rustle in the bushes behind her and a surprised, "Oh!"

"Marah?" Megan asked, twisting around. "Oh my God! Hi! I was looking for you!"

"Please don't hurt me! I'm so sorry!" Marah said.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Why would I do that? Oh, Beevil. That's over. We're good," Megan said.

Marah sniffled and Megan took a good look at the girl. Her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were flush.

"Man, you're really torn up about the whole thing, aren't you?" Megan sighed. "Come here, sit down."

Marah hesitantly took a seat next to Megan. The two teenagers sat in silence for a moment before Marah spoke up.

"I really am sorry about it all. I was going to help you guys, really. Okay, I wasn't going to actually destroy Beevil, but it would weaken her. She was my friend after all. Well, I thought she was anyways. But Kapri found me when I went back up to Uncle's ship. And Kapri hates me and uses me as a verbal punching bag but I mean, we're family and family has to stick together, right? So I, uh, did it. And I'm so sorry! Really! I never wanted to hurt Dustin! I really do like him. He's nice and cute and funny and he fights well…"

Megan grinned at Marah. "Don't worry. He'll be over it soon. He can't stay mad at people. It's not in his nature to do so."

"Really?" Marah asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Yeah. And listen, Marah. Who do you think is going to come out on top of this battle?" Megan asked.

Marah looked down at her clasped hands for a long moment.

"Uncle's going to lose," she said quietly. "Isn't he? He's getting nervous. Like you guys are winning a lot more often. And … I've got this feeling that something good is going to happen."

"You know why that is?" Megan asked gently. "The Power Rangers always win. Good will always triumph over evil. _Always_. And when we do win I'm going to make sure that you and your sister are okay. You're going to be fine, Marah. I promise you."

"You'd do that for me?" Marah asked, looking up in surprise.

"Sure. You're like my Aunt Karone. Not really evil, just under evil circumstances. Plus, I'm fairly certain that Dustin may actually have a crush on you."

"But I…"

"He'll get over it. And I'll nudge him along."

**********

The Academy was depressing looking now in Kim's mind. For starters the Academy wasn't even actually there. The once pristine grounds were still torn and filled with rubble from the Academy. The Rangers hadn't had time to do any landscaping in between school, parents, and the actual duty of saving the world.

"Man, this place sucks," Zhane said, looking around.

"You should have seen it when it was actually here," Kim sighed. "But come on, Dustin'll be down in Ninja Ops."

"Which is what exactly?" Zhane asked as they made their way to the rubble.

"It's an underground bunker of sorts, but it's completely finished and furnished and has state of the art computers in it," Kim said.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"_What is wrong with her?" Trini asked one afternoon. _

"_I have no idea," Kim sighed. "Eric says she's just as bad at school. The class bell sets her off."_

"_She's like this when she's working too," Hayley said._

"_What do you think of her having snapped from the whole Ranger and Lothor has her parents thing?" Trini asked. _

_The three women looked across the lawn to where Megan was apparently trying to kill a tree. _

"_I can so hear you!" she called angrily. _


	45. The Nerves Are Getting To Them

Author's Note: I'm sorry this is so short. I thought it was longer. If I remember tomorrow you may get a bonus installment because it's my birthday. And because I'm seeing Alice in Wonderland. And going to Olive Garden for lunch. But you'll probably get a bonus installment anyways.

**Chapter Forty - Four: The Nerves Are Getting To Them  
(Twitch. Twitch.)**

_Date: April 14, 2004_

Everyone in the Oliver – Wright house was getting twitchy. Nobody really knew why Megan was so twitchy, but Kim was almost at her due date. People began circling the wagons around the house, popping in for unexpected visits left and right.

Megan was somehow more wound up than the expecting couple though. She would jump whenever her phone or morpher did _anything_ and frequently trained in the back yard. She was at Ops frequently and was up late, going over texts that she had borrowed from Sensei Kanoi. Kim even went as far as calling Eric to see if he knew, but he had nothing.

"What is _wrong _with her?" Trini asked one afternoon.

"I have no idea," Kim sighed. "Eric says she's just as bad at school. The class bell sets her off."

"She's like this when she's working too," Hayley said.

"What do you think of her having snapped from the whole Ranger and Lothor has her parents thing?" Trini asked.

The three women looked across the lawn to where Megan was apparently trying to kill a tree.

"I can _so_ hear you!" she called angrily.

"Then why are you going nuts?" Kim called as the other two women blushed.

"I'm not going nuts!" Megan said, storming off into the house, slamming doors as she went.

"You guys are idiots, you know that, right?" Jason asked from the other side of the yard where he and Tommy were sparring.

"And why would that be, husband of mine?" Trini asked dangerously.

"It's been, what, 9 or 10 months since Lothor showed up," Jason said. "And since the Astros, the teams have only lasted about a year."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," Trini mused.

"So she's freaking about the big battle," Jason said. "I mean, wouldn't you have freaked if you knew it was coming?"

"I am not freaking!" Megan shouted out of her open window. "And I'm going to Ops!" She slammed the window down and the adults looked at each other.

"Oops."

**********

Megan was a little less tense when she came back from Blue Bay.

"So I'm ignoring this morning. A lot. But Kelly announced this morning that she's sponsoring Shane and Dustin at the Action Games. And Blake did ridiculously well at the Factory Blue tryout this morning so they want to see him some more there. So Tori, Cam, Hunter and I are going. And I can invite people too."

"That's great!" Kim said. "But I clearly can't go."

"I think the Ninjetti should come," Megan said. "Because yes, it's almost been a year. And Lothor knows who we are and this would be perfect for an attack. But I don't want to tell the others in case they freak. It might mess them up at the games."

"Kat can take my place," Kim said. "That's a really good idea, Megan."

"The Ninjetti are more powerful than ninjas. And this way the Zords might not be lost, we might keep our powers, etc."

"Totally," Kim said. "Is that part of why you've been twitching? You don't want to lose your powers?"

"To an extent I'll always have powers," Megan said. "Ninjas do anyways. But no, I don't want to lose the spandex."

"I'll call the guys now," Tommy said. He turned to Kim. "But who'll be with you?"

"Jason and Trini," Kim said immediately. "And Hayley when she's off work."

"You sure?" Tommy asked.

"Totally," Kim said. "It'll be fine. Lothor'll attack, things will explode, Laura and Greg will come home, and Blue Bay won't have anymore monsters in it."

"And Dustin and Marah will get together!" Megan said. "They're getting included in the Team Couples list even though they aren't technically together. Because they should be."

"And that's my cue to call the guys," Tommy said.

"It's my cue to call Eric. I say the more ninjas the better," Megan said.

"I guess I'm calling Jason and Trini," Kim sighed. She tried to pull herself up out of the chair but couldn't. "Does somebody want to bring me my phone?"

**********

"So you really think Lothor's going to attack?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. Even if this isn't the big one, he'll attack. Maybe it'll be a skateboard monster," Megan mused.

"And you want me to come and help?"

'Well yeah. That and it'd be a date. But if things go to hell in a handbasket like they'll undoubtedly do, you don't get to do anything stupid."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Eric laughed. "What are you gonna do when Lothor's out of the picture?"

"I'm going to kidnap my parents myself. Then we are going to go on a date and bask in the glory of the fact that we won't be interrupted," Megan sighed happily.

"Hey! A few of our dates haven't been interrupted by Lothor," Eric said.

"Three dates. And one was interrupted by Conner, one was interrupted by Tori because she was freaking about how she and Blake almost kissed, and the last one was interrupted because someone pulled the fire alarm at the movie theater. So yes, Lothor didn't interrupt three of our dates – other people did."

"This whole dating thing would be easier if we didn't have friends or family," Eric said.

"You're not kidding," Megan said.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

_Hunter nodded, scanning the crowd. "We'll check the place out for, uh--,"_

"_Let me guess, chicks?" Tori asked sarcastically. _

"_Well, now that you mention it," Hunter said, his eye following a couple of girls. _


	46. Arrival At The Action Games

BONUS BIRTHDAY CHAPTER!!!

Author's Note: This begins the saga that ends _Power Rangers: Ninja Storm_. It lasts about 6 chapters or so I think. So be prepared. It's going to be a bit different than what occurred on the TV. Namely, the first two chapters explains it. Also, it's five chapters long so the very, very end of the episode is at the end of chapter 50. But it's different. Because we all know what I think of canon.

**Chapter Forty - Five: Arrival At The Action Games  
(Real Cam Is Not Cyber Cam)**

_Date: April 19, 2004_

Three days before the events of the Action Games, Kat flew over from England to Reefside. Kat was indeed going to be heading to the Action Games as the Pink Ninjetti as backup in case Lothor did in fact attack. Her husband, Michael, wasn't able to come along with her, but he sent his best wishes to the Ninja Storm team and to Tommy and Kim on the imminent birth of their first child.

Kat had insisted on staying in a hotel, but Tommy and Kim insisted right back that she stay with them. So, the morning of the Action Games Jason and Trini appeared to stay with Kim until Tommy got home. Tommy, Kat, and Megan bid them a farewell and headed to Blue Bay and Storm Chargers where they would meet up with the rest of the ninjas and Ninjetti.

*********

The kids had all piled into Kelly's van to get to the Action Games. The "adults" had decided to drive themselves, following Kelly closely. The drive took about an hour longer than it usually would due to the fact that hundreds of kids were pouring into a grassy field just outside of Blue Bay. The Action Games committee had been prepping the area for almost a month and a half at this point, even going so far as to install a roller coaster and a couple of other typically amusement park rides.

Due to the fact that Kelly's van contained contestants in the games, she was allowed to drop them off right at the gates. The other cars were not so lucky and were forced to park a fair distance away.

As Kelly's van pulled up and parked the Rangers piled out of it, looking around in visible excitement. The Action Games were already getting on their way to being packed and nothing had even started yet. There were kids everywhere with skates, bikes, skateboards, and anything else you could think of.

"You guys better check in," Kelly told them. "I'll make sure your gear's okay."

Hunter nodded, scanning the crowd. "We'll check the place out for, uh--,"

"Let me guess, chicks?" Tori asked sarcastically.

"Well, now that you mention it," Hunter said, his eye following a couple of girls.

Tori scoffed at that, but her eye did quickly dart over to Blake, hoping that he wasn't going to follow his brother.

"Come on," Cam said, clapping Hunter on the back. "I'll cruise with you."

"Cyber Cam?" Blake asked in surprise.

"I'm not Cyber Cam. Who says Real Cam can't cruise?"

"Yeah!" Hunter said, pumping a fist into the air as the group headed into the games.

"That is just so wrong," Megan sighed, shaking her head.

Once they'd gotten their wrist bands (Shane's, Dustin's, and Blake's were all black to represent that they were participants while the others had white ones to show they were participants' guests and therefore could have access to a few more places than those with, say, red bands) they waited for the former Rangers to get in.

"Seriously? You're going to scope out girls?" Megan asked.

"What's wrong with that? I'm 24," Cam said.

"Yes, and you're a 24 year old who's had precisely five girlfriends. All of whom were ninja students at various schools," Megan said.

"Dude, you've only had five girlfriends?" Hunter asked. "We are so fixing that. And you're 24?"

"Oh look, the adults are here. Though I guess technically Cam's one too now," Megan said.

"I've been adult for six years," Cam said, smacking her lightly on the back of her head.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem that way," Megan said.

"So, who's doing what when?" Adam asked as they reached the Ninja Rangers.

"I'm at ten," Shane said.

"Ten thirty," Dustin announced. "Well, sometime around ten thirty. They've got a bunch of people and I'm not sure what my number is."

"Factory Blue's gig is at noon," Blake said.

"So we've got lots of time to chill then," Tommy said. "It's only, what, eight fifteen?"

"Wow. You know what time it is," Rocky said.

"Come on, Cam," Hunter said. "Let's cruise."

The two boys (though by all rights Cam was far from a boy) headed off, leaving the others behind.

"What was that about?" Kat asked curiously.

"They're cruising after girls," Eric said.

"I think it's wrong on many levels," Megan said.

"So while they're cruising for girls – which is not wrong by the way – we are going to find some food," Rocky said.

"What is wrong with you? It's eight in the morning. Didn't you eat breakfast?" Adam asked. He turned to Aisha. "You did remember to feed him, right?"

"Shut up, Adam," Aisha said. "He feeds himself. He's a big boy now. After all, he is married."

"I'm a Red! We're the only ones that admit the need for food!" Rocky protested.

"Technically all of us eat a lot. Reds are just typically more vocal and apparent in their need for food," Megan said.

"And how do you figure that?" Tori asked curiously.

"To compensate for the increased physical activities and exertion as well as the toll that actually being in the suit takes on our bodies, our metabolism speeds up, thus requiring us to eat more food in addition to eating more frequently. Mostly, however, the Reds are more vocal in their need for food. I believe it stems from the typical Red personality," Megan shrugged.

"Dude, she just sounded like Billy," Adam said.

"Did not. He would have thrown a few therefores and stuff in," Rocky said. "And I think I actually understood that. Kinda."

"Because we get the crap kicked out of us we need more food to deal with it," Tori said.

"We don't get the crap kicked out of us," Dustin said. "We do win."

"After getting our butts kicked," Shane pointed out.

"Anyways, we all eat more," Megan said. "You just notice it more with Reds."

"If you want food go find it," Aisha told her husband.

"It's going to be hot dogs and stuff like that most likely," Blake said.

"Fine by me!" Rocky said, dragging Adam off in his search of food.

"That's disgusting," Aisha said as Kat made a face.

"You married him," Tommy said pointedly.

"I blame that on Ninjetti soul mate stuff," Aisha said. "After all, it explains you and Kim perfectly well."

"Shouldn't you blame it on Ranger soul mate stuff too?" Megan asked. "Because the whole 'love at first sight' track record's worked brilliantly so far. I mean, Eric and I didn't even have to do anything."

"What track record?" Shane asked.

"Oh, don't get her started," Kat said with a smile. "She'll list every single couple and explain why they fell in love, when they got married, how they got married, and what number they are on the epic scale."

"Wes and Jen are number one," was Megan's immediate response.

"I thought Kim and I were," Tommy said.

"Psht. You don't have time travel. It's always more epic when time travel is involved," Megan said.

"Wait, time travel? The Time Force people really were from the future?" Eric asked.

"How have I not told you that yet?" Megan asked. "This clearly means I have to give you the whole rundown just to make sure."

"You should write it down. It might make it easier," Kat suggested.

"I am writing it down. The Official Power Rangers Historian plans to have book tours," Megan grinned. "Because who in the general populace doesn't want a book about the Rangers?"

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

_Much to Adam's dismay, all that Rocky had found to eat was hot dogs and funnel cakes. Rocky may have been his best friend, but that didn't mean he enjoyed his eating habits. And 8:30 was just way too early to be eating hot dogs. Funnel cakes maybe because they were pretty much just donuts in fun and crazy patterns._


	47. Kelzac Attack

**Chapter Forty - Six: Kelzac Attack  
(And Random People Show Up To Help Fight)**

_Date: April 19, 2004_

Much to Adam's dismay, all that Rocky had found to eat was hot dogs and funnel cakes. Rocky may have been his best friend, but that didn't mean he enjoyed his eating habits. And 8:30 was just _way _too early to be eating hot dogs. Funnel cakes maybe because they were pretty much just donuts in fun and crazy patterns. Hot dogs, now that was different. Who knew what was in one of those things anyways?

"This is awesome," Rocky said as he looked around. "It's like a shrine to action sports."

"That's because it is. It's the _Action Games_. Like the little brother or sister of the X Games. It's all about action sports," Adam explained.

"I knew that," Rocky said pointedly. "It's not easy to ignore all of the Action Games paraphernalia around."

There really was a great deal of stuff emblazoned with the Action Games logo being sold. Anything that could hold the logo and even remotely related to action sports had the logo. There were shirts, bags, buttons, key chains, souvenir cups, regular coffee mugs, travel coffee mugs, skates, skateboards, helmets, skateboard pads, you name it. There were also booths for the different sponsors and other well known sports companies.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Adam asked, frowning.

He and Rocky exchanged a quick look and took off running in the direction of the screams, dropping the uneaten food sadly in a trash can. As they neared the half pipes they saw Hunter and Cam standing in the middle of one and two girls in ridiculous outfits opposite them.

"Marah and Kapri, you think?" Rocky asked.

"Marah's supposed to be the bug one and Kapri's the fox one, right?" Adam asked. "Whoa! What's up with the red Kelzacs?" A company of red Kelzacs had joined Marah, Kapri, and the company of normal Kelzacs.

"Kelzac furies," Kapri said as they came in earshot.

"I think we might need a few extra hands," Cam said, glancing over at Hunter.

"Glad we're here then," Adam said as he and Rocky leapt up onto he half pipe.

"Who are you?" Marah asked.

"Friends," Rocky said.

"Attack!" Kapri shouted and the Kelzacs rushed forward.

Hunter and Cam threw themselves into the fray closely followed by Rocky and Adam. The two former Rangers had never fought with them before and found it interesting to note their fighting styles. The only problem was that they seemed to be getting their butts kicked. Granted, they themselves weren't doing all that well. The black Kelzacs weren't that hard to defeat, but those red ones – the Kelzac furies as Kapri had called them – were much harder.

Suddenly there was a dual yell of "Yaaaah!" and there were two more human bodies in the fray. They, however, clearly had no formal – or informal – training in any discipline of martial arts. They were quickly, very quickly, getting hurt.

"Who are they?" Kapri asked in sheer confusion.

"Oh who cares?" Marah asked. "Let's just do what we came here to do and get out of here." She cast a nervous glance around, seemingly waiting for the other Rangers to appear.

Personally, Adam thought she had a right to be nervous for reasons other than the standard battle. Namely, one particular Yellow Ranger in their company.

Cam and the boy wound up fighting near one another and in a lull Cam turned him and said, "You have got to get out of here."

"Dude, seriously? We're just trying to help you out," he said.

"You can help by standing aside," Hunter said, executing an effective spinning kick. The boy looked suitably impressed. "And keeping out of our way." He flipped a Kelzac Fury onto its back.

Suddenly all of the Kelzacs vanished into thin air, apparently having been used to their full potential.

"Where'd they go?" Hunter asked.

"Kyle, you okay?" the girl asked.

"I'm good Tally, you?"

"Fine."

"What were you guys thinking?" Hunter demanded angrily.

"We were thinking you were in trouble," Kyle said. "You should be happy we were there."

"No, you should be happy they all decided to dematerialize. You have no idea what you're dealing with," Cam said sternly, not coming across as harsh as Hunter.

"I'm gone," Kyle said bitterly.

"Me too," Tally said.

"Hey wait up a sec," Rocky said. "What they're trying to say, but are coming across as incredibly rude," there was a pointed glare at the two Rangers, "is that we appreciate your help but you could've been hurt. We've been trained in martial arts for years."

"From what we saw you haven't. There's potential, definitely potential," Adam said, "but you really could've gotten hurt. Kelzacs and Kelzac Furies aren't exactly the easiest things in the world for beginners to fight."

"Thanks," Tally said to Rocky and Adam pointedly before she and Kyle walked away.

"What was that about?" Hunter asked.

"Look, we've been doing this for longer than you have. You've got to acknowledge the help when you get it," Rocky said.

"Okay, you're probably right," Cam said. "Somebody needs to get the others."

It only took five minutes for everyone to appear after putting a call in to a few choice people. "So what's up?" Shane asked. Everyone except for Cam was waiting up by the guardrail separating the Action Games grounds from the rest of the area. Cam was pacing on the grass down below.

"Any clues why they attacked?" Megan asked. "Did Kapri and Marah look particularly devious? Or happy? Or what?"

Tori stared at Megan in disbelief. "What?"

"Nothing," Megan said when Dustin looked her way in confusion. "Nothing at all."

"Anyways, moving on from Megan's delusions of nonsense, Marah and Kapri were interested in this area, so the Kelzacs must have been a diversion," Cam said.

"I don't see anything," Dustin said. "It's just grass."

"Hey," Shane said suddenly. "What's wrong with your amulet?"

"What?" Cam asked, looking down at the amulet that was hanging out of his shirt. The amulet was glowing and emitting a strange humming sound. Cam reached down to touch it only to cry out in alarm and jerk his hand back.

"What is it?" Tori asked.

"It's frozen," Cam said in confusion.

"Frozen?" Tommy asked.

"Dude, it's like 80 degrees out," Dustin said.

"You do recall the concept of magic, right?" Adam said.

Cam held up the frosted over amulet by the cord. "No kidding, Dustin. I better get back to Ops and run some tests, see what this is all about."

"We'll keep our eyes peeled around here," Tommy said. "Just in case they come back."

"Do we have to do it _here_?" Eric asked. "Cuz we wanted to check out the skateboard thing that starts in fifteen."

"We can stay here," Tommy said. "You guys go check out the race."

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

_Waiting for something to happen was incredibly boring. The group of Ninjetti stood around the deserted area – due to the fact that there wasn't an event at that particular half pipe until the next day – waiting for anything to happen. In the meantime they'd taken to goofing off._

"_I spy with my little eye…something purple," Rocky said lazily from where he was laying on the ground._


	48. EARTHQUAKE!

Author's Note: Mix midterm exams and a computer malfunction and you get delayed updating.

**Chapter Forty – Seven: EARTHQUAKE!!!  
(Abyss Is Acting Up)**

_Date: April 19, 2004_

Waiting for _something_ to happen was incredibly boring. The group of Ninjetti stood around the deserted area – due to the fact that there wasn't an event at that particular half pipe until the next day – waiting for anything to happen. In the meantime they'd taken to goofing off.

"I spy with my little eye…something purple," Rocky said lazily from where he was laying on the ground.

"I don't think any of us care, sweetheart," Aisha said.

"Well, this is boring. Do we all have to stay here?" Rocky said.

"He does have a point. Can't we take shifts?" Adam asked.

"We--," Tommy began, but was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. "Hello?"

"_Hi. Tori, Blake, Dustin, Shane, and Hunter are going to deal with the giant Fish of Doom. I've got a giant Pig. Where he came from I've got no idea, but there's a freaking giant pig just outside of Blue Bay. Cam's back at the Academy still and I'm sending Eric to you,"_ Megan said. _"I think this is it."_

"Okay. May the Power protect you," Tommy said before hanging up.

"What's going on?" Rocky asked, sitting up.

"They're calling out the Zords. Megan's sending Eric to us," he explained. "She thinks this is it."

"So are we expecting anything to go down here?" Kat asked.

"Not sure," Tommy said. "Granted, we probably should be ready just in case."

Eric jogged over to them and said, "Megan's freaking out by the way."

"Why?" Kat asked.

"It's either the end of Lothor or the end of them," Eric said. "She's also been a little uptight lately if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, we have," Tommy said. "Trust me on that one."

"Even my brother's noticed and he tries to pay as little attention to us as possible," Eric said absently. "Anyways, they aren't, uh, gonna die or anything, right?" he asked nervously.

"I highly, highly doubt it," Adam said. "Kendrix is the only one of us who has ever died and she came back."

"We may get brainwashed, kidnapped, kidnapped _and _brainwashed, hospitalized due to our own idiocity, or any number of other things, but we don't die. And we don't lose," Rocky said.

"They'll all be fine," Tommy reassured Eric.

"Well, they want you to watch out anyways and be prepared for all sorts of nonsense and shenanigans to occur," Eric said.

"So. Do we _all_ need to be here?" Adam asked. "Should we fan out and check other places?"

"This is where Marah and Kapri were," Kat pointed out.

"But they could send Kelzacs down anywhere," Adam pointed back.

Everyone looked to Tommy. "What? Why are you all looking at me? Rocky's the Red."

"Yeah, but you were our leader," Aisha said.

"Fine," Tommy said. "Adam, Rocky, Aisha, you go wander around. Be back in a half an hour for a switch."

"Got it," Rocky said, hopping up from the ground. As he, Adam, and Aisha headed off he asked his wife, "Does checking out the roller coaster count as making sure that Lothor doesn't take over the world?"

"So," Kat said, turning to Eric. "I don't think we've been officially introduced. This morning was a bit of a blur."

"That's because Shane was late getting to Storm Chargers," Eric grinned.

"Well, in that case, I'm Katherine Harper, the second Pink Ninjetti Ranger, Pink Zeo Ranger, and first Pink Turbo Ranger."

"I'm Eric McKnight…Megan's boyfriend…You have a much more impressive title than I do."

"Well, when I find myself in mixed company I can only introduce myself as 'Katherine Harper, wife of Dr. Michael Harper,'" Kat grinned. "You've got time yet to make a more impressive title for yourself."

"Honestly, I plan on having to introduce myself as 'the husband of the Official Power Rangers Historian' in the future," Eric laughed.

"Really?" Tommy asked in surprise. "I thought you'd want to, well, _do_ something."

Eric shrugged. "Well, I don't know. The only thing I know for certain that I want to do is to marry Megan. And since Megan knows without a doubt what she wants to be…I guess I'm just gonna be her husband."

"Married?" Kat asked. "Really? But you two are so young."

"What about me and Kim?" Tommy asked with a grin.

"You don't count. You two were destined period," Kat said.

"Well, with Megan and me it's slightly different," Eric said. "Yeah, we've got the Ranger destined love thing, but there's also this thing called 'Ninja Mate.'"

"What?" Kat asked.

"It's confusing," Tommy said. "It's like soul mates, but with ninjas. And apparently there's some for Ninjetti too."

"Do we have weird lives or what?" Eric laughed.

Tommy laughed, but stopped abruptly as the ground began to tremble. "Okay, not good," he said. Suddenly, there was a great tearing noise and the three looked over at the meadow. There was a crack in the ground that had purple smoke and energy waves coming out of it. "Very not good." The crack exploded, sending dirt, grass, and rocks flying.

"Reinforcement time?" Eric suggested as the ground began to shake for real.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: _

"_How is it fair that your Zord didn't explode? Blake and Hunter's did." Dustin asked. _

"_It's not, okay. We'll just go with that it's not fair," Megan said as she, Dustin, Shane, and Tori made their way down the stairs to Ops. "And stop freaking out Tori. Blake's going to be fine. Death is like so not an option for Rangers."_


	49. No More Ops

Author's Note: I just wanted to address a not!question I got in the last chapter. The reviewer said that they felt Megan was becoming too important to the story and that Tommy and Kim were taking a backseat. I created Megan with the intention of using her to bridge the Ninja Storm season to the Dino Thunder season better. If you're unaware of the DT show, I'm gonna spoil you a bit here. Tommy becomes the "Zordon" of a group of teenage Power Rangers. And yes, there will be mercifulless taunting when that occurs. The problem is that I'm changing the NS finale to better fit my version of DT, which requires everyone reading about it. Many of you mentioned that you never saw NS or DT, so I've got to explain what the heck is actually going on with the two shows. After Lothor's been dealt with things will calm down and Megan will take a backseat. She's not "on the DT team" so she won't be factoring into DT as much. She will, however, still be living with Tommy and Kim so she'll show up, but Tommy and Kim (and future!spawn) are the focus.

Plus, the DT teams gets their own story for when they go to college. And I have the OLC: Extras one shots that I'm working on. Anything that is blatantly not Tommy/Kim will go into either one of those stories.

Thanks for your patience with Megan!

**Chapter Forty – Eight: No More Ops  
(Oh, And Cam's Been Kidnapped By His Evil Uncle)**

_Date: April 19, 2004_

"How is it fair that your Zord didn't explode? Blake and Hunter's did." Dustin asked.

"It's not, okay. We'll just go with that it's not fair," Megan said as she, Dustin, Shane, and Tori made their way down the stairs to Ops. "And stop freaking out Tori. Blake's going to be fine. Death is like so not an option for Rangers."

"I'm worried about both of them," Tori said.

"Tori, you can cut the whole 'I don't like Blake' thing," Shane said. "We kinda all know."

"That's not--," Tori began but stopped abruptly as Ops came into view.

The room was destroyed, utterly and completely. Beams of wood had fallen haphazardly on the ground, the computer consoles were sparking and had wiring falling out, rocks and stones littered the ground and there were holes in the walls.

"What happened?" Shane asked.

"You think we know more than you do?" Megan said, but there wasn't any bite to it as the Rangers spilled into the room.

"It's trashed," Dustin said in shock.

"No," Tori said forlornly, looking around the room.

"Cam?" Shane called. "Sensei? Cyber Cam?" The room was silent except for the sparking computer console. "Well where are they?"

"Don't worry," Dustin said, they'll be here somewhere."

Shane and Dustin moved further into the room, shifting aside some of the rubble.

"They have to be," Tori said. "If anyone can survive this it's Cam and Sensei."

She began helping Dustin and Shane move things, trying to find if Cam or Sensei was trapped under the rubble. Megan could only stare at the destruction around them.

"This can't be how it ends," Shane said, trying to lift a large piece of trapped metal.

"Whoa! What happened here?" Blake asked. Blake and Hunter walked over to where Megan stood in the center of the room, staring at the destruction in shock.

"You guys made it!" Dustin said happily as the Rangers were reunited. "We thought you'd be toast for sure."

"Vexacus torched the Thunder Megazord so we ejected," Blake said.

"Meg's still got her Zord," Dustin said dryly.

"Where's Cam?" Hunter asked, glancing around.

"Don't know," Shane said sadly.

"Sensei?"

"Lothor got here before we did," Dustin said, gesturing to the wreckage.

"We were too late," Shane said.

"Better late than never as I always say," a voice said.

They all turned to see Sensei – a fully human Sensei no less – step into the room.

"Sensei!" Tori, Dustin, Shane, and Megan said, rushing over to enfold him in a group hug.

"You're okay!" Dustin said as Tori and Shane echoed similar sentiments.

"I'm so glad you're not a guinea pig anymore," Megan said.

"Good to see you," Hunter said. "Finally."

"And you're like, totally normal too!" Dustin grinned.

"Lothor's energy blast reversed the transmutation and allowed me to return to my human form," Sensei said.

"But where's Cam?" Tori asked.

"He has been captured," Sensei said gravely.

"We'll get him back," Megan said firmly.

"It will not be easy," Sensei said, looking at them all in turn. "My darkest fears have come to pass. Lothor is preparing to open the Abyss of Evil."

"Are you serious?" Blake asked. "But I thought that was just ninja folklore."

"It is no coincidence that the Wind, Earth, and Thunder Academies are located so close together. We three Academies, though we may have our differences, are the guardians of an invisible gateway – a gateway that once opened will allow all of the evil of ages gone by to escape," Sensei explained.

"Then why hasn't Lothor opened it before now?" Shane asked.

"The Abyss can only be opened when it is filled to capacity. Even then it can only be opened my a might force."

"The Samurai Amulet," Megan and Tori said at the same time.

"Yes," Sensei said. "I believe Lothor intends to use Cam's powers to open the Abyss and allow an army of evil to enter our world."

"Well, we just won't let that happen. Otherwise the other Ranger teams will get mad at us," Megan said.

"Why?" Hunter asked.

"Because that's where all of _their_ monsters also went," Megan said. "It's essentially got every single baddy that was ever destroyed."

"Whoa," Dustin said, sitting down on what remained of the table.

"What about Rita Repulsa? Lord Zedd? Divatox?" Tori asked.

"Look who did their evil Ranger enemies homework," Dustin said.

"Except she clearly didn't read the chapter on the Countdown," Megan said. "They all got turned human. Rita's the Mystic Mother or something and I don't know what Zedd does."

"Guys, focus," Shane said. "We have to stop the Abyss from opening. There has to be a way."

"Well, we've got all but one Ninjetti on call, and I'm pretty sure the other teams with powers will help," Megan said.

"We may need more than that," Shane said.

"We need help," Blake said. "Ninja help."

"Where are we going to find that?" Shane asked. "All of the ninjas are gone."

"Lothor's ship," Hunter said. "Every ninja on the planet is locked up there."

"My boyfriend's not," Megan said.

"We could take the Dragon Force Vehicle!" Dustin said, shooting up.

"Wait," Hunter said. "Blake and I should go alone. We've been on Lothor's ship, we know where to look for the others."

"I'm going too," Megan said. "My parents are up there. And Cam's probably up there too."

"The Dragon Force Vehicle is in the Zord Bay," Sensei said. "Be careful. And thank you for your courage."

"You can thank us when we come back," Blake said.

"And we're so getting Cam back. And my parents," Megan said.

"Let's go," Hunter said.

Thankfully the damage was only in the main room of Ops, and not the other corridors. There was a noticeable absence in the Zord Bay where Blake and Hunter's Zords should have been. The three headed straight for the Dragon Force Vehicle. Once inside they headed straight to the cockpit. Hunter sat down in the pilot's chair while Blake strapped himself into one of the other seats.

Hunter stared at the controls for a second before asking, "Do either of you know how to pilot this? Or get us out of here without hitting the roof?"

"Move over, Thunder boy," Megan said. She and Hunter switched places. Megan activated the Zord teleportation and turned on the Zord. "Now, let's go rescue some people."

The Zord lifted out of the Bay and appeared just over the waterfall entrance to the Academy. It unfurled itself and shot up into the air.

**********

It felt like an earthquake. Well, it was an earthquake. Just not one caused by tectonic plate friction. Adam, Rocky, and Aisha were trying to fight their way to the meadow, but it was like fish trying to swim upstream. The loudspeakers were announcing that the Action Games were officially postponed and that everyone needed to get to a safe area.

Thus everyone else was trying to run _away _from where they were headed.

"I officially cast my vote in the 'Is this the final battle' vote," Rocky said. "And my vote is a resounding yes."

They managed to make their way to a less crowded area as the trembling stopped and began running towards the meadow area. They skidded to a stop when Kelzacs appeared.

"You know, I am so not in the mood for this right now," Aisha sighed as the three launched themselves at the monsters.

After only a minute there was a roar not unlike that of a motocross bike and the three Wind Ninja Rangers appeared.

"Great timing guys!" Rocky called. "Ninjetti time?"

"Got it!"

A quick glance proved that no civilians were around.

"The Frog!"

"The Ape!"

"The Bear!"

Now instead of three Rangers and three people, there were three Rangers and three Ninjetti. And as Ninjetti, their reflexes and responses improved.

"Man I missed this feeling!" Adam said as he executed a back flip that took him at least seven feet off of the ground at its peak arc.

"You know Kim did this two weeks ago and her outfit had completely changed," Aisha said. "It was all billowy and not as structured as these are."

"You call these structured?" Rocky asked. "They're just fabric twisted all around."

"Yeah, but hers was more like a tunic than anything," Aisha said.

"Do you guys always talk this much when you fight?" Dustin called.

"Most of the time, yeah," Rocky said.

The ground shook once more and Shane said, "I think we found Lothor! Look!"

Lothor – or what they could only assume was Lothor's Zord – stood in the meadow and was taller than the roller coaster they were fighting next to. It was an ugly thing, formed to look more humanoid than other Zords.

"We'll cover this," Rocky said.

"All right. Let's go!" Shane said as the Ninja Rangers hopped on their bikes.

Lothor's Zord let open a blast of white energy.

"_Guys! Lothor's doing something to the Abyss. Get here now!"_ Tommy said over their communicator.

"A little busy here!" Adam said.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"_You can't just leave us here!" Marah protested. The two girls looked frantic, straining against the bonds that Choobo and the Kelzacs had placed them in. _

"_Why shouldn't we?" Hunter asked darkly. Marah and Kapri's faces dropped as Megan turned to Hunter in surprise. _

"_Because they're family," Cam said, causing Marah and Kapri to grin happily._


	50. Sneaking About On A Ship

Author's Note: Questions about the baby: Oh, I'm making you wait for his/her birth. But not too long. Baby Oliver will be born sometime after chapter 50. But that's all I'm saying.

And since I haven't done a thank you lately...(okay, since chapter 38), here we go.

11: prophet144, general-joseph-dickson  
14: Genne  
18: Ghostwriter  
31: princessakarlita411  
36: sabina21  
46: Itachi's Apprentice  
49: Falcon4Crane, heworeaps

Thanks so much for your continued support guys!

**Chapter Forty – Nine: Sneaking About On A Ship  
(Time To Save The Wantanabe Family – And Extended Members)**

_Date: April 19, 2004_

Getting onto Lothor's ship proved to be quite easy, which bothered all three Rangers.

"He should have more security," Hunter hissed. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Blake said.

"Shh," Megan hissed at them. Footsteps were heading their way and they pressed themselves against the wall.

Choobo hurried past them, Kelzacs in tow. "We don't have much time before this place self destructs!" he said. "Let's get out of here!"

"Great, ticking clock on top of everything else," Blake groaned.

"Must be what the beeping thing is," Megan added.

"We better find Cam," Hunter told them.

They headed deeper into the ship. "The control room's this way," Hunter said, leading them into a large room, complete with one bound Cameron Wantanabe. "Cam!"

"Hey!" It seemed that Marah and Kapri were also tied up in the room.

Blake, Hunter, and Megan headed over to Cam and began to untie him. "Thanks guys," he said in relief, rubbing his wrists.

"Hey! Hello?" Marah asked.

"Guys?" Kapri whined.

"You can't just leave us here!" Marah protested. The two girls looked frantic, straining against the bonds that Choobo and the Kelzacs had placed them in.

"Why shouldn't we?" Hunter asked darkly. Marah and Kapri's faces dropped as Megan turned to Hunter in surprise.

"Because they're family," Cam said, causing Marah and Kapri to grin happily.

Megan hurried over to Marah and began to untie her as Hunter untied Kapri. "Thank you, thank you so very much," she told him.

The ship shook, sending them all stumbling.

"We've got to get out of here!" Hunter said urgently.

Cam turned to Marah and Kapri, "Can you tell me how to release the ninjas?"

"Hey Cousin, you know the Yellow Ranger?" Marah asked, causing Cam to frown at her in annoyance. "Is he still mad at me? Because I think he's really cute and we could--,"

"Can we talk about this later?" Cam asked.

"How many times do I have to tell you! He doesn't hate you!" Megan said.

"Wait, what?" Hunter asked her.

"Helloooooo," a voice said. The Rangers and former evil girls turned slowly to see Choobo and Kezlacs. "Going somewhere? And I see you two have new friends. This should be fun."

"For old time's sake?" Hunter asked Blake.

"Oh yeah," Blake said with a wicked grin.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger form, HA!" With crackling electricity and booming thunder the two boys were transformed into the Navy and Crimson Thunder Rangers.

"What is with Rangers and dramatics?" Megan muttered. "Fire Storm, Ranger form, HA!" There was the snap, crackle, and pop of flames and Megan became the White Fire Ranger.

The three morphed Ranger and Ranger-who-had-his-morpher-stolen began to attack the Kelzacs and Choobo while Marah and Kapri cowered behind them.

"You know," Megan said, "we should probably get the ninjas and get off of the ship _before it explodes_!"

"Hey Cousin!" Marah called to Cam. "If you blow that console it'll short out all of the ship's main operating systems and release all of the ninjas."

"You're really not dumb," Cam said in surprise.

"Yeah I know," Marah said. "I keep telling people that and no one ever listens to me."

The ship shook once more, sending a few Kelzacs to the ground.

"Megan! Blow the console!" Cam called.

"Already on it!" Megan called back. "I did hear what Marah said. One flambéed console coming up!" She aimed her flamethrower at the console and let it rip. The console began melting and letting off sparks. "You know, the Ranger gods probably shouldn't have given a fire ninja a flamethrower for a weapon. Because this is way too much fun to be okay."

Choobo vanished, taking the remaining Kelzacs with him.

"I think that's our cue to get the ninjas!" Cam said. He turned to Marah and Kapri. "Where are they?"

"We'll show you!" Kapri said and they raced out of the control room.

**********

_Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"_The Megazord! It's gone!" Shane said as he scrambled to his feet. _

"_Fact of life, man. Zords usually get destroyed right before we stop needing them," Rocky said._

"_Megan still has hers," Dustin said. _

"_Well, she's a very special case in more ways than one," Tommy joked._


	51. I Haven't Had This Much Fun All Season!

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I had a five hour babysitting gig today. Yay money!

**Chapter Fifty: "I Haven't Had This Much Fun All Season"  
(Goodbye Lothor, Have Fun In The Abyss – For Now Anyways)**

_Date: April 19, 2004_

"Okay. What is it with Megazords exploding?" Rocky asked as they ran towards Shane, Tori, and Dustin who had all ejected before the final explosion.

"You think we know the answer to that?" Tommy asked.

"The Megazord! It's gone!" Shane said as he scrambled to his feet.

"Fact of life, man. Zords usually get destroyed right before we stop needing them," Rocky said.

"Megan still has hers," Dustin said.

"Well, she's a very special case in more ways than one," Tommy joked.

The face plates of the three Wind Rangers clicked back into their helmets. Smoke began issuing from the Abyss.

"What's happening?" Shane asked.

"I don't know," Tori said.

The Abyss cracked and ruptured, smoke and light spilling out of it. Ghostly figures began swarming out of it, reaching up into the air and flying out across the sky.

"You know, I think we may have quite a bit of damage control to do after this is all over," Aisha said.

"Get back!" Shane yelled. "Something's about to happen!"

Some of the ghosts that had flown away came back and as they neared the ground they became more solid. There were dozens of monsters, many that the Ninja Rangers had already faced, and some that they had never seen before.

"Is that, is that Finster?" Tommy asked.

"Finster?" Shane asked.

"Worked with Rita and Zedd. He made the Putties and their monsters," Tommy explained. "I hope Goldar's not out."

The giant, massive line of monsters split to let a laughing Lothor through. Shane growled, a tic forming in his jaw.

"How does it feel to fail, Rangers?" Lothor asked.

"You'll find out," Shane said.

"Not this time," Lothor laughed.

"Ready?" Shane asked. Dustin and Tori nodded, getting into position. The face plates of their helmets snapped closed and they pulled out their katanas.

"Ready?" Tommy asked as his team got into position – sans one Blue Ranger anyways. They nodded.

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"You're friends won't be able to help you now," Lothor said before shouting, "Destroy them!"

Both sides lunged towards each other, attacking with fierce determination. The Ninja Rangers weren't doing so well, and the Ninjetti were barely doing any better despite their years of experience fighting evil villain minions. There were just too many monsters for them to handle. Soon the Ninja Rangers were weaponless and tossed into a pile while the Ninjetti Rangers were backed into a circle.

The monsters surrounded each team and began laughing menacingly until Lothor was hit by a purple blast. All eyes were raised to the sky as Hunter swooped down in his glider.

"Mind if I play through?" he asked.

"You will never stop me!" Lothor growled.

"But we will," Blake yelled.

Blake, Megan, and ninjas from the Wind, Thunder, and Earth Academies stood just outside of the monsters.

Hunter dropped down from his glider to land behind Tori, Dustin, and Shane.

"Awesome!" Tori said.

"Battelizer!" Shane called, and was instantly garbed in his Battelizer.

"You ready for round two guys?" Tommy asked.

"Oh yeah. Let's finish him," Adam said.

"Then we party and eat," Rocky said.

"Stop focusing on the food, Rocky," Kat said.

"Kelzacs!" Lothor called and Choobo and the kelzacs that had vanished from the ship appeared behind him. "Attack!"

The Rangers all had a renewed sense of energy thanks to the arrival of the captured ninjas. With their added help they began destroying kelzacs and sending monsters tumbling over the edge of the Abyss, back down into its depths.

Tori used the half pipe to her advantage, flipping down it and attack the kelzacs that swarmed it as she went. Dustin split into two – literally – and the two began attacking together. Megan was gleefully – a little too gleefully when Tommy got a glance of her – attacking kelzacs and monsters alike with her flamethrower. Kat was attacking with her Power Bow, having found the top of the half pipe gave her the best location for sniper like shots. Aisha was stabbing and parrying with her Power Daggers, occasionally using her Power Blaster for more long range adversaries. Adam was swinging away with his Power Axe, sending monsters flying. Rocky was using the Power Sword to fight the monsters that had swords themselves. Tommy was only fighting hand to hand with the majority of the monsters, Saba floating around and fighting on his own, often making disparaging comments against his enemies. Hunter and Blake were using their Thunder Staffs to attack, even shocking some of their enemies.

Shane transferred to his Battelizer's flight mode to attack from the air, taking out quite a number of monsters and creating an impressive explosion in the process.

Lothor shot him down, but Shane fell on a pile of hay bales instead of the harder ground.

"Shane!" Tori called as she and the Ninja Rangers – except for Megan who was busy trying not to get skewered by one of the monsters – ran over to him.

"You okay?" Dustin asked.

"He destroyed the Battelizer," Shane said in shock.

Lothor flipped over to them and they got into battle positions. Lothor threw himself at the Rangers, and soon it was five on one. That didn't help the Rangers very much though. Lothor quickly dealt with Hunter and Blake, relieving them of their weapons and sending them flying. Lothor attacked Tori and Dustin next, sending a blast their way that had them flying over flames. Shane was next, and he took a blast straight to the chest as he tried to protect Tori and Dustin from another blast. Shane fell to his knees, completely drained.

"Enough," Lothor said, pulling out Cam's Samurai amulet. "It's time to finish you all!"

"I don't think so buddy," Megan said from behind him, letting a stream of white hot fire at his unprotected back. Lothor screamed in pain, dropping the amulet to the ground as he fell to his knees. Megan let the flames die down and Cam stepped forward.

"I believe that belongs to me," he said, picking the amulet up.

With the monsters and kelzacs all now securely in the Abyss of Evil, the ninjas, Ninja Rangers, and Ninjetti gathered in front of Lothor.

"Wanna morph, Cam?" Megan asked.

"Love to," Cam said. "Samurai Storm, Ranger Form, HA!"

A clash of steel resounded through the air and then Cam was encased in Green not-spandex.

"Give up now, Lothor," Shane ordered.

"Not likely," Lothor said slowly, wincing in pain as he got to his feet.

"Did you have to attack him with fire?" Tommy hissed at Megan.

"He's the bad guy! What did you expect me to do?" Megan hissed back.

"You will be defeated," Lothor ground out.

"Gotta say one thing for the guy," Aisha said. "He knows how to keep his priorities straight."

"That and he's an idiot," Rocky said.

The Rangers and ninjas advanced, causing Lothor to take a stumbling step backwards. "If you surrender now we won't destroy you," Cam said.

"You'll go to the prison colonies out in space," Tommy added.

"And I'm sure that SPD will want to deal with you too," Megan added.

"What's SPD?" Dustin asked.

"Later," Megan said.

"No," Lothor said. "You will never defeat me."

They continued to advance and he continued to make halting retreating steps until he was backed up against the guardrail separating the Action Games ground from the meadow.

"We don't need to be Power Rangers to defeat you," Shane said, breaking his morph.

"What are you doing?" Kat hissed at him.

"We don't need our Ranger powers to do this," Cam said, also breaking his morph.

"You were morphed for what, like a minute?" Megan asked as she too broke her morph. "That's a waste of energy."

"Wait? Who let my daughter become a Power Ranger?" a voice asked. "Tommy, married to my sister or not, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Later, mom!" Megan called over her shoulder.

Soon all of the Ninja Rangers stood garbed in their ninja training attire facing Lothor. "Even before we were Power Rangers we had one thing, our ninja powers," Shane said. "And that is all we need to defeat you."

"Power of Air!"

"Power of Earth!"

"Power of Water!"

Wind began to pick up around Lothor and he looked around in fear.

"Power of Thunder!"

"Power of Fire!"

"Samurai Power!"

"Ninja Power!" they all yelled, thrusting their left hands into the air, two fingers sticking up. Spheres of energy began to glow at their extended finger tips in their respective colors. They brought their arms down, pointing at Lothor and beams of energy shot towards him.

The combined energy hit Lothor in the chest and he only had time to cry out, "NO!" before he was sent toppling into the Abyss of Evil.

There was a huge explosion from the Abyss, causing everyone to flinch and shield their eyes. There was a moment of silence before Megan moved to the guardrail and said, "It's closed."

"What happened?" Tori asked.

"Lothor's evil, it must have overloaded the abyss," Blake said.

"It caused the Abyss to implode on itself," Cam finished.

"So he's gone," Dustin said, gesturing at the sealed Abyss. "Really gone?"

"God I hope so," Megan sighed as Cam nodded.

"I believe so," Cam said.

"And you guys got to keep your powers," Rocky said as the Ninjetti Rangers headed over demorphed. "Doesn't happen that often, so be happy."

"Okay Megan, now can I kill my brother-in-law?" Laura asked, coming over to hug her daughter.

"No. That would be mean," Megan said. "And besides, you knew this was going to happen."

"Yes, but I thought I would be there to see it," Laura said.

"Oh, we got pictures of it," Aisha grinned.

"Where's dad?" Megan asked.

"Uh, somewhere," Laura said, looking around. "GREG!" she yelled.

"Coming! Geez woman, you don't need to yell!" Greg said as he hurried over. "Hi Megan sweetie."

"Hi daddy," Megan said. Soon the three were engulfed in a family glompfest.

Tommy looked around at the euphoric ninjas. Granted, euphoria did seem to be the go to emotion when a villain was defeated – excluding Astronema, but that had been for different reasons. Shane and Dustin were thumping each other on the back, grinning like idiots. Hunter and Blake were conversing with someone that could only be Sensei Omino. As he heard shrieking he glanced over and saw Megan had broken away from her parents and was jumping up and down with Tori, shrieking incomprehensibly. Cam stood aside from the rest, grinning happily.

"So, how's my sister?" Laura asked as she and Greg moved to stand next to Tommy.

"Pregnant," was Tommy's smug response.

"What?" Laura shrieked, latching onto Tommy's arm. "What? When's she due? When did this happen? Why does nobody tell me these things? Oh God I hate Lothor for kidnapping us!"

"Whoa, whoa! Now I see where Megan really gets the babbling from," Tommy laughed. "We found out just before Thanksgiving. She's due pretty much any day now, but since it's our first she's probably going to be late." Laura gaped at him.

Tommy's phone began ringing. He checked the caller ID and said, "You can talk to your sister now if you'd like." Laura continued to gape at him so he answered. "Hey Beautiful," he said. "Guess what."

"I'm glad you think that I'm so attractive, Tommy, but I am taken," Jason joked.

"Shut up," Tommy said, rolling his eyes and eliciting a smack on his arm from the now recovered Laura. "Chill woman, it's Jason. Where's Kim?"

"Funny you should mention your pregnant wife," Jason said. "Her water broke about a minute ago," Jason said.

It took half a second for Tommy to process that. "WHAT?!" he roared, startling everyone in a four foot vicinity and nearly destroying Jason's eardrum.

"Yeah, we're heading to the hospital now," Jason said.

"PHONE!" someone in the background (and Tommy was fairly certain it was his wife) shouted.

The phone on the other end was handed off and Kimberly did indeed speak. "Hi Handsome."

"Are you all right? Is everything okay? I'll be there now," Tommy said, beginning to babble a bit.

"What's going on? What is it?" Laura asked, clutching at Tommy's sleeve.

"Was that Laura? And bring everybody, even the Ninja kids, okay?" Kim said.

"Yeah, your sister and Greg are fine," Tommy said. "Lothor's gone and the kids got to keep their powers. Here's Laura," Tommy said, handing off the phone.

"Aisha!" Tommy called, heading towards the Yellow. "Where are Rocky and Adam?"

"Over there somewhere," Aisha said. "Why?"

"Kim's in labor," was the simple response.

Aisha let out a very Megan like squeal and ran off shouting for the two boys. "Wait, labor? Baby? I get a cousin now?" Megan squealed from behind him.

"Apparently. Oh God," Tommy said, beginning to hyperventilate. "I'm about to be a dad. Oh God. I am so not ready for this. Oh God."

"Relax, Tommy. You need to breathe," Greg said, coming over to the White Ranger.

"What have I done? I'm not ready to be a dad. I'm always late and I forget all sorts of things and I even forgot once that Kim's birthday is Valentine's Day and oh God I'm not ready to be a dad. What do I do?" Tommy asked.

"Nobody's ever ready to be a parent," Greg said. "But you two will be fine."

"Everybody shut up!" Megan yelled suddenly. People around them stopped talking, but others were still talking to one another and celebrating. "SHUT UP!" she bellowed and the area went nearly silent. "Okay, thanks. All Power Rangers to the cars now. Use ninja streaking or Ninjetti line of sight teleportation if necessary. Kimberly Oliver is giving birth to the first Power Ranger baby ever!"

There was a mad dash and sudden streaks of light as the Rangers headed to the cars. Eric grabbed Megan's arm just before she was about to take off and asked, "She's going into labor now? And you realize there's only one car, right?"

"Shoot. Forgot about that. Whatever. We'll deal. I'll ninja streak all the way to Reefside General if I have to. And yeah, isn't it great? I have to start calling people. You should call your mom to let her know you're coming."

"You want me to come?" Eric asked in surprise.

"Well, you are going to be the baby's cousin-in-law someday," Megan grinned, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Now come on."

**********

Next time on Power Rangers: One Little Change

First Ranger Baby EVER! And no, I'm not giving you a teaser for it. Mwahahahaha!


	52. Reunions And A New Family Member

Author's Note: I apologize to everyone for the delay in updating, but whoever's reviewing as "luis martins", I have a real life. I had finals to prepare for and a nearly 40 hour work week the past two weeks. I am not doing this to make _you guys _happy. That is an added benefit. This story is for my own pleasure and sometimes I do have more important things to do. Passing my classes and keeping my job are two of those things. If I don't get a chapter up for a while it's because real life intervened.

**Chapter Fifty – One: Reunions And A New Family Member  
(RANGER BABY!)**

_Date: April 19, 2004 and April 20, 2004_

It didn't take long for all of the Power Rangers to arrive in Angel Grove as they had all been expecting the call for days now. People did, however, keep arriving and arriving. As soon as Carter and Dana made it there from Mariner Bay, Dana rushed back to be with Kim. Even though Dana was a Pediatrician, Kimberly wanted Dana to be back there with her mostly because of Pink Ranger loyalties in addition to the fact that Dana was unofficially going to be all Ranger Babies doctor.

The boys were all anxious and the girls were all, well, hyper. They bounced around, chatting and giggling. Some were a little more sedate, like Taylor, but overall the section of the waiting room they had taken over was filled with happy and anxious people.

Eric was feeling particularly anxious, having yet to be introduced to Megan's parents. It probably didn't help that his brother was calling him every twenty minutes asking why he was at the hospital waiting for his girlfriend's cousin to be born.

Megan solved half of the problem by calling her parents over to him. "Mom, dad, this is Eric McKnight. He wasn't at the Earth Academy when Lothor attacked."

"Hi," Greg said, slightly confused. Laura, however, knew exactly what her daughter was about to tell her.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Wright," Eric said.

"Eric is my boyfriend," Megan said. "Well, he's more than that. He's my ninja mate."

"Say what?" Laura asked. She had not been anticipating the second half of that statement.

"Well, it's true," Megan said.

"I think you and I need to have a talk," Laura said, grabbing Eric's arm before her husband could. She walked away with him, Eric turning slightly to mouth, 'Help me!' at Megan.

As the hours passed, the girls slowly began to sit down and become more jittery than hyper while the boys became more and more anxious.

"How long do these things normally take with humans?" Cole asked.

"It depends," Laura said. "Mom was in labor with me for ten hours, and five for Kim. I was eight with Megan."

The teens were crowded over in one section of the larger "Ranger corner" of the waiting room chatting with one another.

"It's not fair that Justin has to be all the way in Massachusetts because of college," Megan said.

"Hey, are you going to Reefside next year?" Tori asked.

"I, uh, I guess that depends on Mom, Dad, Uncle Tommy, and Aunt Kimberly," Megan said.

Eric frowned but then perked up. "Are you graduating from the Wind Academy?" he asked.

"Do you honestly think I know the answer to that question?" Megan asked. "We've only just defeated the idiot man … Where are Marah and Kapri?"

"They're with Dad," Cam said. "Back at the school."

"I tried to bring Marah, but Kapri wouldn't let me," Dustin said. "Something about not exactly wanting to be near us at the moment. I think Marah's avoiding me."

"Will you explain what you said to Marah now?" Cam asked Megan.

"What did I say to Marah?" Megan asked in confusion, or feigned confusion anyways.

"About how Dustin doesn't hate her," Cam said pointedly.

"Well, he doesn't," Megan said matter of factly.

"And how you've been repeatedly telling her that," Cam continued.

"Uh, no. Not telling you anything. Can't make me," Megan said.

"Have you been meeting with the enemy?" Tori asked with a grin. "You're a devious one."

"Shut up, Tori," Megan said. "Zhane was trying to _date_ the enemy. Let's change the subject. Please. I'll tell you later."

"All right," Cam said. "And you _will_ tell me later."

"I meant Tori, but whatever," Megan said despondently.

It was much, much later when a doctor walked into the Maternity Waiting Room and found seven teens and many adults asleep. There were some that were still awake, notably Laura and Greg who had claimed earlier that being put in those stasis bubble things meant that you came out _very_ awake.

Laura, Greg, and the others who were awake began shaking people to wake them up quickly.

"The family of Tommy and Kimberly Oliver?" the doctor called.

The Mighty Morphing, Zeo, Turbo, Astro, Lightspeed, Time (well, Eric and Wes anyways as everyone else was in the future), Wild Force, and Ninja Storm Power Rangers stood up in addition to Laura, her husband, mother, Tommy's brother David and his adopted father Sam all said, "Yes?" at the same time

The doctor looked momentarily stunned at the sheer number of people standing to receive his news about the first Power Ranger child of the "new time."

"Uh, yes. Mrs. Oliver had a healthy baby boy."

"Red! I call dibs on red!" Rocky said immediately.

"No way man," Jason said. "Green. It's totally going to be green."

"Shotgun white!" Megan grinned. "I so shotgun white."

"Can I claim a random color?" Zack asked. "Any color?"

"No! Wait! I so shotgun the kid becoming the first Pink! So totally going to happen!" Megan laughed.

The doctor looked at them in confusion, but continued on. "We don't have a name yet, but as soon as we have one we'll let you know."

"Why don't you have a name?" Laura asked.

Dana came into the Waiting Room and smiled. "Tommy fainted. As soon as he heard that he had a son, he keeled over."

There were precisely 32.4 seconds of silence before the laughter started. Zack and Rocky collapsed on each other and Jason leaned on Trini as he laughed.

"Oh that is too good," Laura said.

"My brother fainted?" David chuckled. "That's brilliant."

"When can we see her?" Mrs. Hart asked.

"After we've cleaned her and the baby up. Depending on when Tommy wakes up, that could be anywhere between twenty minutes and an hour," Dana said.

"What does Tommy have to do with anything?" Zack asked.

"Kimberly says the baby has to be named before anyone can see him," Dana grinned.

"Figures," Laura said. "All right, let's start with the betting. And no, Zack you can't call any random color that isn't in the standard repertoire."

"Why not?" Justin protested.

"Do you know how many random colors there are?" Aisha asked.

"Sort of," Zack said.

"I can still bet on Male Pink, right?" Megan asked.

"Whatever," Laura said.

"Why not Male Yellow?" Tanya asked.

"Because I was," Dustin said.

"And I voted for the _first_ Male Pink," Megan said. "And how has nobody figured out what's going on yet? We don't even have a good code for this stuff."

"I have no idea," Cam sighed.

"Wait, what time is it?" Trini asked.

"2:15 AM," seven or so voices said at once.

"Meaning his birthday's April 20th and not the day we defeated Lothor," Megan said. "Not sure how I feel about that."

It actually only took about four minutes for Tommy to wake up and by the time Dana came back to the room Kimberly was in Tommy was up and whispering with Kimberly about names.

"Ah," Dana said. "They've already started betting."

"Jason, Rocky, Zack, and TJ, right?" Tommy asked.

"More like your sister-in-law," Dana said.

"Really?" Kimberly asked. "How many people are here?"

"Wes and Eric are the only ones from their team, and Leo, Kendrix, Kai, Damon, Maya, and Mike couldn't make it for obvious reasons, but everyone else is here."

Due to the sheer number of people who had arrived for the birth of the first Power Ranger child in memory, some people were chosen to go and see Kimberly and the baby while others remained in the Waiting Room.

Laura, Greg, Megan, David, and Sam took the first shift, which would be followed by Trini, Jason, Billy, and Zack. Next Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Tanya would visit, followed by everyone else in shifts of four or five.

When Dana came to get them and to announce the name, Megan was practically vibrating. Eric watched her with a fond, almost dopey grin on his face and Megan's father watched him with narrowed eyes.

"They've decided on a name," Dana said, a small smile on her lips. "Daniel Zordon Oliver."

The Power Rangers were silent for a few seconds, and Trini squeezed Jason's hand. It was fitting that the first child of the Power Rangers honor the man who had created them, the man who had been like a second (or a first in some cases,) father to them.

"Come on, they want to show him off," Dana said quietly.

Megan nodded and off they went.

"Ooh, he's adorable," Laura said. "So Tommy, how's it feel to be a dad?"

"You stopped hyperventilating yet?" Greg asked.

"He was hyperventilating earlier?" David asked.

"Why did they tell you?" he asked in annoyance. "Jason's only going to make fun of me for the rest of my life."

"Only until he does it when Aunt Trini has the baby," Megan said as she peered at Daniel. "And I totally bet you that Uncle Andros does too."

"He does seem like the fainting type," Laura said. "Not the big and strong and muscular Tommy Oliver only the greatest and best of all time."

"That's what Dustin said, not what I said," Megan told her mother. "And Dustin has a severe case of hero worship no matter who it is."

"Oh My God he's so cute!" Megan squealed when they came back to the Waiting Room. "Aunt Trini, Aunt Ashley, please have cute babies."

"We'll try," Trini said.

"Actually, everybody needs to have cute babies. There will be no excuses for having not cute babies," Megan said firmly. "Especially seeing how pretty we all are."


	53. Bringing Home Baby

_Author's Note_: I am aware that this is very short. I've been in a slightly difficult spot in my life where all I felt like was angsty emo stuff. And since I realized I didn't actually have a chapter where Tommy and Kim brought Dan home I had to write this up. And angsty and emo don't really go hand in hand with bring home babies. So it took me a while to get this out.

In addition, I leave for vacation on Tuesday, June 29. I will be gone until Tuesday July 13. So please don't expect a chapter before that date. Or probably on that date. I do have chapters after this written, but since I'm now delving into _Power Rangers: Dino Thunder_ territory I have to watch all of the episodes again and transcribe some. So…bear with me. It might take a while.

**Chapter Fifty – Two: Bringing Home Baby  
(Mostly Internal Musings Because I Got Lazy)**

_Date: April 24, 2004_

It was interesting having a baby to care for. Tommy and Kim quickly realized that they had no real idea of what to do despite the fact that they had taken numerous classes and scoured the internet. Luckily for them they had Laura.

Kim figured her sister was a God send seeing as she came over any time of day whenever she got a phone call. The new parents were suddenly introduced in all things baby care, but perhaps the most frightening to Kim was giving Dan a bath.

"Seriously, I've done this like five times now," Laura told her. "You're going to have to clean him yourself eventually. _Both_ of you."

"Tommy doesn't even get to try," Kim said.

"Hey! I'm not going to drop him! He's my son."

"You said we should just hose him down," Kim said pointedly.

"I was _joking_," Tommy stressed.

"I'm not doing it this time. Kim, take him. I'll be talking you through it this time," Laura said, handing Dan over.

Kim bit her lower lip but began to follow her sister's directions.

There were suddenly a lot of firsts in their lives. Dan's first smile, his first yawn, his first yawn at home, his first nap, his first car trip, and more.

Everything was documented fully. If the other Ranger teams had thought that Kim and Trini were very particular about the way the photo album looked, they were going to be wholly unprepared for how Dan's baby book looked. The Oliver family digital camera was always out and anything interesting Dan ever did was photographed, printed, glued in the book, and dated.

In Dan's first four days on the planet thirteen pages had already been filled in.

They took pictures first thing in the morning (what's Dan wearing today?), during the day (Oh look! Dan's killing his dragon toy!), at dinner (Dan really doesn't like Mommy eating), and at night (Look! He's sleeping!).

Tommy was fairly certain that Dan was getting tired of it, but he wasn't going to stop his wife from doing what she wanted. Usually that resulted in him getting smacked and her doing it anyways.

Having a child was strange though. Nothing about it had been real until they brought him home. He'd realized that he was going to have a kid, someone else that was going to need protection, another innocent. He had understood and internalized.

But this was much different than what he had imagined. He knew without a doubt in his mind that if any alien or monster or demon or anything at all ever hurt his child, there would be hell to pay. There was a fierce need and desire within him to protect, more so than it ever had been when he was a Ranger. His family and friends had always been his top priority. Ever since he had met Kim she'd been at the top of his list, even after their breakup. Now Dan was tied with Kim at the top of the list both holding the highest and most important place in his heart.

_Next time on __Power Rangers: One Little Change_

"Thunder Ninjas shouldn't go near water!" Blake was protesting as Tori dragged him into the water.

"Then you came to the wrong place, bro," Shane laughed.

"This should be amusing," Cam said, settling back into one of the many beach chairs set out under one of the many umbrellas.

"He's going to drown," Hunter commented idly.


End file.
